Rolling With the Punches
by hOtlilmofo
Summary: After signing with the WWE, Dallas has been called to make her Raw debut. She's ready to make an impact on the WWE Universe, but she'll have to get through an ex-boyfriend hellbent on making her life difficult, the lunatic driving her crazy, and her own habit of getting herself in trouble, first. The harder Dallas tries to have a normal life, the more complicated it seems to get.
1. Chapter 1

Rolling With the Punches

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. I own the intellectual property behind it, I own the OCs, but other than that, the characters who exist in real life (or in WWE life) are their own property.

* * *

 **A/N: I know the last thing I should be doing is posting a new story when I'm working on like five others, but I have no self control. Hope you all enjoy! Let me know what you think! XoXoXo**

* * *

"Oh my God! Is this real life? Is the true Wicked Bitch of the East here?!" Saraya Bevis, better known to the world as the WWE Diva Paige, practically yelled backstage at the evening's Monday Night Raw taping.

"Yes, she is!" the five-foot-three, one hundred and twenty pound woman replied, before running over to her friend and jumping into her waiting arms.

"Oh my God! I've missed you so much, Dal, you psycho bitch!" the raven-haired woman cried out excitedly.

"I've missed you!"

The shorter woman, Dallas D'Ambrosio, climbed off of her friend. "What the hell are you doing here?" Saraya questioned, a huge smile lighting up her pale face.

"I got a call from Stephanie telling me to get my ass here because I'll be making my debut tonight," the twenty-five year old replied.

"You're skipping NXT?" she asked, slightly confused.

Dallas shrugged. "I guess. I don't really know if this is a one-off, or what. No one tells me anything around here. Just where to show up and what time to be there. I'm not really in a position to argue or anything."

"Everyone down there was probably sick of you already and sent you here to just get rid of you. The only person who could handle you was Dusty, anyway. Without him, they're probably all done with you and refused to work with you."

A frown formed on Dallas's lips. "Yeah…" She paused, remembering the man who she had driven crazy, though she absolutely loved him. He knew it was just her way of showing him love. "Way to kill the fun, bitch."

"I mean, it is true, though. It's impossible to shut you up and put you in your place. You're too much of a badass to listen to anyone."

"You're right. I'm not arguing that. Without Dusty, you had to hear me get yelled at…every single day. I mean…there were a couple of times I deserved it," she replied with a nod. "I just don't like listening, especially when I don't feel like I'm being heard. He was the only one who understood me…or pretended to for his own sanity."

"So, you have a match tonight?"

"I certainly do!"

"Against who?"

The wicked smirk on Dallas's lips answered that question. "I'll give you one guess, pal."

"No fucking way! We have a match tonight?!" Saraya almost screamed, jumping up and down with excitement.

"I'll be the one coming out when you cut your promo and kicking your little tart arse."

"I was actually really annoyed because they hadn't told me who I was facing, only that I had a match. But this is amazing! This is the best day ever!" the two-time Diva's champion yelled with a laugh.

"Agreed."

"We have to make this match incredible."

"Oh we will. Trust me…we're fucking good at what we do, and we're gonna kill it."

"Hell yeah."

Dallas smirked. "Actually, I was thinking about something…"

The English Diva raised a curious eyebrow. "Oh yeah?"

"I know we were given ten minutes, but what if we maybe went a couple of minutes over?" the slightly older woman suggested.

"I mean, you know that I love causing trouble, but pissing Stephanie and Paul off might not be the best plan for your first night on the main roster."

"I'll take all of the blame for any trouble we get into."

"You should know me better than that. That's not my concern. Besides, I'm always in trouble for something anyway. I don't really care about that."

"And I don't care about pissing anyone off."

A devilish smirk formed on Saraya's face. "Let's do it, sister."

"That's the bitch I know and love!"

"So, your hair. What made you do this?" the slightly taller, though slightly younger woman questioned, grabbing a handful of her friend's hair and examining it. While Dallas's hair had previously been dark brown, the ends were now dyed into darker shades of the colors of a rainbow, in an ombre-like fashion.

"You don't like it?" Dallas asked with a pout.

"Actually, I love it. It's very…you...out there but still pretty dark on the inside."

"Why thank you."

"You seriously look great, Dal. And after all of the bullshit that you went through…it's really nice to see you like this," Saraya commented, her tone sincere.

A smile pulled at Dallas's lips. "Thanks, Raya. I appreciate that."

"Have you seen him yet?"

The brunette shook her head. "Nope. But I'm sure I'll be oh-so lucky to run into him at some point."

"Of course. He better not be an ass to you," Saraya firmly spoke, a serious glint in her eye. "I will kick his fucking ass."

The glimmer of a smile hinted on Dallas's barely made-up face. "It's fine. I'm sure he won't be a dick or anything. He has no reason to anyway."

"He really doesn't. You didn't cheat on him and get knocked up by someone else," Saraya bitterly shot back.

"Whatever. It's been two years. I'm okay. You know I slept my way around for a bit. Got the misery fucked out of me," Dallas breathed.

Saraya chuckled. "If I had tits like these suckers, I'd probably have gotten laid a lot more, too," the younger woman commented, cupping her friend's breasts over her plain white t-shirt.

Laughing, Dallas brought her hands onto her hips. "Oh Raya, you always know just what to say to put a smile on my face."

"I try. Do any of the others know that you're here?"

"Nope."

"Becky is going to flip a shit. We were just talking about you the other day. And Mercedes stuck her nose in our conversation and gave us this whole speech about how she was going to march right into Stephanie's office and demand that you get to travel with us. But obviously she didn't do it. We've really all missed your punk ass."

"I've missed my bitches," Dallas agreed.

"Well, let's go find them," Saraya said, wrapping an arm around Dallas's shoulders and leading her towards the locker rooms.

"Sounds good to me. Are there any guys here that I should work on screwing?"

"Dal! Jeeze. Keep it in your pants. Besides, there really aren't too many. Most of them are married. You should find one of Kevin's friends…or all of 'em. Teach the son of a bitch a lesson for hurting you."

Dallas made a face. "He's not gonna give a fuck about what…or who…I do. Now, he's got a kid and a wife, and he's happy as he can be. And here I am…bitter and…bitchy."

"And hot as fuck."

Dallas let out a laugh. "Why thank you, sexy lady."

"Hey, if I can't cheer one of my best girls up, then, I'm doing something wrong."

Dallas wrapped her arm around Saraya's back, as the pair walked towards the locker rooms. The brunette was getting all sorts of confused looks, as there were a number of people who did not recognize her. While she had practiced at the WWE Performance Center, she had never made her debut. That...and she tried to keep a lower profile when it came down to who she interacted with. She had dealings with a number of the woman who trained there, but she made it a point to interact with only a handful of the men, not wanting anyone she had known previous to her signing with the WWE to know that she was there. And with a lot of begging and pleading, Dallas had convinced the powers that be to keep her training at the Performance Center on the down low, as well as the fact that she had signed a contract with them.

However, those who had some involvement in the indy scene knew who she was. Dallas had been in the wrestling industry since the age of fifteen, though that was more of a 'don't tell anyone that we're training you' type of arrangement. By eighteen, Dallas had found her way into Combat Zone Wrestling. That was where she had met Kevin Steen. He had made a one-night return for a match against Vordell Walker. The pair had gotten to talking and hit it off quite well. While he was doing his thing in other promotions and soon after their meeting, Dallas ended up signing with Ring of Honor. The two had talked daily and even made a point of visiting each other. Not too soon after meeting, they had begun dating each other. They dated for five years, until she had found out that Kevin had been cheating on her and got the other woman pregnant. Dallas was devastated, and their relationship was over.

Dallas had been in a bad place at that time. In an effort to find approval and to find some self-worth, she had made her rounds through some of the guys that she had known, both wrestling-related and not. After realizing how poorly that reflected on her, Dallas calmed down a bit with the sleeping around bit.

Having serious in-ring skill got Dallas noticed. While she had been offered a contract with TNA when her ROH contract was coming to an end, as well as an extension with ROH, Dallas had been in the middle of deciding what to do, when WWE swooped in and offered her a contract. She couldn't turn the opportunity to come to the WWE. She had only spent a couple of months training with them, while she finished up all of her previous commitments on the independent circuit. And while she had been expecting to make her NXT debut soon, she had received the unexpected phone call from Stephanie McMahon telling her to meet up with them in California. She had explained that the newbie would be making her WWE debut on Monday Night Raw. Dallas was incredibly excited to see her friends.

While Dallas hadn't trained there for very long, she had luckily met some of the women previously. She'd met Saraya a couple of years ago when she had done some work wrestling in England. She had met Becky Quinn, better known as Becky Lynch, around that same time. She met Mercedes Kaestner-Varnado, known to the WWE Universe as Sasha Banks, while they'd made their rounds through the independent circuit. While in NXT, she became fast friends with both Ashley Fliehr and Danielle Moinet and a handful of others.

"And here we are, pumpkin," Saraya declared, standing in front of the locker room door that she shared with the other women. Opening the door, she had a goofy grin on her face. "Guess who's joining the big leagues, ladies!"

All eyes turned to Dallas. Becky, Mercedes, Ashley, and Danielle all ran over to the doorway, squealing with excitement, happy to see their friend. While Dallas had always been a pistol, she seemed to be very well-liked…something she never quite understood.

"Coming by for a visit, are yah?" Becky questioned, as she pulled Dallas in for a hug. The brunette went down the line, giving all of her girlfriends a hug.

"Actually, I'm here for my debut," she nonchalantly commented.

"No fucking way! Seriously?!" Mercedes questioned.

"Yup," Dallas replied, the smile crawling onto her lips.

"Who're you up against?" Ashley questioned.

"ME!" Saraya victoriously declared, throwing her arms up in the air.

"Lucky bitch," Mercedes groaned. "We're gonna have to have a match at some point because…I want to."

"I'm sure we will, as long as I don't get my ass fired first."

"Oh you won't get fired," Danielle waved her off.

"You never really know with a troublemaker like me."

"That's true," Saraya agreed with a nod.

"But they hired yah for a reason," Becky said. "They can't let yah go quite yet. You're too good at what yah do."

"Yeah, besides, didn't they just shit can the other one?" Saraya asked.

"Zahra?" Dallas questioned

"Yeah. Colby's girlfriend," Danielle replied.

The brunette rolled her eyes. "I can't with that one."

"You fucking hated her," Mercedes breathed with a smirk.

"I fucking hated her," Dallas repeated, fire flashing in her eyes for a split second. "She was a cocky bitch…without the skills to back it up. And listen, I don't give a fuck about anyone's personal life, Lord knows mine is a shit show, but don't you walk around like you're so high and mighty because you're fucking a main eventer. So, her personal life didn't help matters either. As far as I'm concerned, that twat ruined a perfectly good relationship, and she's a whore. I don't like homewreckers, and I sure as fuck don't like arrogant bitches who think they're better than me."

"Yeah, but it isn't even all of that…she was just nasty to you," Ashley pointed out, shaking her head.

"I know. All because she was fucking up during our drills, and I was trying to be nice, in a rare moment because _I_ actually paid my dues and didn't fuck my way up the ladder and know what I'm doing, and tried to help her. And she came at me like I was doing something wrong. So, I put the bitch in her place. I didn't know she was an anti-Semite and a racist twat. I would've facebusted her outside of the ring…maybe on the sidewalk…crack her head open for good measure," Dallas shot with an evil smirk.

The women chuckled, knowing their friend was a bit of a big mouth who would have actually kick the offending woman's ass had she been okay with being let go from the company so quickly. That was just how Dallas operated. It had gotten her into trouble a number of times, but she didn't really mind. She was volatile when certain buttons were pushed.

"Anyway, are you nervous?" Danielle asked, changing the subject.

Dallas shrugged. "Not really. More excited than anything. I'm only nervous about running into that fuckhead Kevin," she admitted.

"Haven't seen him yet?" Becky asked.

"Nope. Luckily. I'd just rather not see him altogether."

"I don't blame you," Ashley backed her up.

"Don't blame who for what?" a voice came from behind the group of women.

"Don't blame me for coming all the way here to kick your bitch ass," Dallas replied, turning around, a huge smile on her face.

"Dallas!" Claudio Castagnoli yelped, surprised to see her.

He picked her up and gave her a huge hug, which was returned. The pair had known each other from their Ring of Honor days and had been close friends for a number of years.

"Have you grown? You seem taller than the last time I saw you," he teased her, as he put her down.

"Nah. You're just getting older and are shrinking," she shot back with a smirk.

"Venomous woman," he breathed, shaking his head. "You look really good. How're you doing?"

"Good. Good. Here for my big debut."

He furrowed his brow. "Skipping over NXT?"

She shrugged. "Guess so."

"Wow. Even I had to pay my dues on NXT."

"Well, I guess I'm just better than you," she casually shot back. "But I think we all already knew that."

He laughed. "Oh Dal. I guess I've actually missed your smart mouth."

"Oh you know you love me. Besides, I've spent plenty of time hanging out with your girlfriend. I know that you've missed me. She ratted your ass out."

"I'll have to have a word with her."

"Oh I bet it's words you'll be having," she teased with a wink.

"Ah you're too much sometimes," he spoke, shaking his head.

"Thank you," Dallas said, smiling sweetly.

The brunette knew that she would probably end up running into her ex-boyfriend at some point, but for the moment, she was genuinely happy to reconnect with her friends. At least the first night on the main roster wasn't so bad.


	2. Chapter 2

Rolling With the Punches  
Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I still don't own anyone other than my OCs, as well as my intellectual property (Ha! I'm intellectual!). Everyone else owns themselves…or Vince McMahon owns them…that's probably more accurate.

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you to my love DenyingTheTruth for her review :) Hope you guys like this. Let me know. It'll get better once the action starts in...which is now...or at least I think so. Love you guys! XoXoXo**

* * *

Dallas and Saraya stood near the gorilla position, their match only minutes away. The shorter woman wore a pair of short black denim shorts, along with a fitted white tank top and a pair of black and white low top Converse sneakers. Her semi-colorful hair was down with the ends in soft curls. Her makeup was fairly simple and flawless, with some black eyeliner, some foundation, mascara, and lip gloss. She was ready to go out there and make her official debut. She was hopping up and down, overwhelmed with excitement.  
"I don't think I've ever been so excited for a match in my entire life," Saraya commented.  
"Me neither."  
The black-and-blue haired beauty began hopping up and down, as Dallas had been doing. A backstage technician walked over. "It's your cue, Paige," he said.  
"Okay." She quickly pulled her friend in for a hug. "Love you, crazy bitch."  
"Love you, my little psychopath."  
Saraya headed out, as her entrance music began blaring throughout the arena. Dallas watched her friend deliver her killer promo on the closed circuit television. She was pumped for this moment. She had been close with Saraya since they'd met. It didn't matter how far apart they were, the two were always in touch. She loved her like a sister and was all-too happy to be able to share this milestone in her career with her.  
"So, please, if any of you back there think you actually pose a threat to me and my journey to reclaiming the Diva's Championship, if any of you back there actually believe that you're on my level, please, I dare you to come out here and bring your best. Because I've got something to prove, and it is that I'm going to be the longest reigning Diva's Champion when I take that title off of Nikki Bella," Paige challenged.  
There was silence for a few moments, allowing Paige's face to settle in a satisfied smirk. That is until the Transplants' "Romper Stomper" rang out through the venue causing the well-versed members of the WWE Universe to cheer for the woman.  
Dallas took a deep breath and walked out. The WWE Universe cheered even louder upon seeing the popular independent wrestler. She had a cocky grin on her face, while she made her way down the ramp, eyes focused on her opponent. Dallas dove underneath the bottom rope. She stood up and walked over to Paige, getting in the woman's face. She snatched the microphone right out of the former champion's hand.  
"Hey dollface, you think you're so good? How about you put your money where your mouth is and try playing with the big girls?" Dallas sneered.  
"Big girls? You're tiny. You're like a little puppy. Who the hell are you kidding?" the raven-haired Diva retorted, having grabbed the microphone back.  
Dallas smirked. "Scared, Paige?" she shot.  
"Absolutely not. Let's go," the two-time Diva's Champion accepted the challenge.  
Dallas smiled, as Paige dropped the microphone. The bell rang, signaling that the match was to begin. The two women almost immediately locked up. Dallas quickly pushed Paige off of her, flinging her into the ropes. As she came flying back towards her, the shorter woman lunged at her, spearing Paige to the mat. Dallas began throwing punches at her opponent's head.  
Paige turned them around, and she began landing punches to Dallas's head. She managed to push the raven-haired Diva off of her. The two jumped to their feet. Dallas smirked at Paige. She bent over, placing her hands on her knees. She stood upright and launched herself at Paige, knocking her opponent into the ring post. Dallas ran into the opposite corner. She, then, ran at her opponent, launching her body into a flip, before knocking right into her. Paige was knocked down in the corner, her body limp.

* * *

Kevin Steen was hanging out in the catering area, relaxing after his match. He was pretty satisfied with the match he had against Neville. He'd come out victorious. Those were Kevin's favorite matches…the ones he won. Unless of course, it was a legitimately great match. Then, he was more than okay with taking the loss.  
"Dude, do you see who's out there?" Rami Sebei, otherwise known to the public as Sami Zayn, asked, sitting across from his longtime best friend.  
"Who?" he asked, though it was clear from his tone that he didn't particularly care.  
"You have to see this…"  
Kevin rolled his eyes. "Man, I'm relaxing."  
"No, you really have to see this," Rami insisted. The serious expression on his face prompted the larger man to relent.  
Kevin groaned, as he stood up and followed his friend to the closed circuit television, where there were a handful of Superstars and Divas watching the action. At first glance, Kevin saw it was a Diva's match. He shrugged. "Who gives a fuck?" he breathed. But someone in the ring caught his eye. It wasn't one of the regulars. This was someone he hadn't seen on Monday Night Raw before…but someone he had seen plenty of other places. "What the—" he breathed, cutting himself off, as he was in shock.  
Kevin was pretty sure his heart had stopped beating at that moment. He recognized this woman all too well, and he was not happy to see her, especially here. He turned to his best friend. "What the hell is she doing here?"  
"I don't know. I had no idea that she was gonna be here," Rami replied.  
"Dude, did you see Dallas?" Colby Lopez questioned, as he walked over to one of the newer additions to the WWE roster.  
Kevin glared at the Superstar known as Seth Rollins. "Yes. I just saw her," he replied, clearly unamused.  
"What the fuck is that all about?"  
"I have no idea," Kevin replied, clearly becoming more annoyed with the WWE World Heavyweight Champion.  
"She looks great, huh?"  
"Who looks great?" Claudio asked, walking over.  
"Dallas," Colby answered.  
"She really does. It's great having her around again."  
"Yeah. About that…" Kevin breathed.  
"Listen, just because you broke up with her doesn't mean that the rest of us don't want to see her again," the Swiss Superstar shot back.  
"Just because you wanted to fuck her while I was dating her doesn't make you a noble guy, Claudio."  
"Just because you can't handle having a beautiful girlfriend who has male friends doesn't mean that I was trying to sleep with her. It means you're an insecure slob."  
"Okay. Okay. You two need to turn it down a few notches," Colby spoke, stepping in between the two men who looked as if they were ready to brawl, consequences be damned.  
"Well, maybe this dickhead needs to keep his mouth shut," Kevin spewed, his eyes reflecting a furious fire.  
"Maybe you shouldn't have been such an asshole to Dallas, and we wouldn't be having this issue right now," Claudio retorted.  
"Hey, I thought the Swiss were neutral," Colby tried joking to ease the quickly rising tensions, though his joke had fallen on deaf ears…aside from Rami's. He chuckled at the comment, but the glare he received from his best friend caused him to stop immediately.  
"Alright. Alright. I get it. You both have some unresolved issues with the whole Dallas situation. But you two fighting about it won't resolve anything," Rami spoke up, joining Colby, as he also stood between the two men.  
Kevin and Claudio continued to glare at each other, the hostility between the two men evident to anyone who walked passed them. "Guys, come on. How about we all just calm down, and we can watch the match…or not watch the match…whatever floats your boat," Colby said, desperately trying to lessen the chances of a brawl breaking out between the two.  
Claudio was the first to back down, not in the mood to deal with his friend's ex-boyfriend any longer. He had said what he needed to and made his point crystal clear. Besides, he wanted to watch her match. Kevin, on the other hand, stormed into his locker room, slamming the door shut behind himself. He sat on one of the benches, his head in his hands.  
The door opened mere moments later, and Rami walked in, shutting the door behind him. He sat next to Kevin and put a supportive hand on his friend's back.  
"You okay, man?" he asked.  
"Do I look okay?" he snapped. Kevin paused and let out a deep breath. "What the fuck, man? Seriously?"  
"I know. I had no idea she was coming here. Hell, I didn't even know that she was training in NXT until Colby told me…just now."  
"I can't fucking deal with her," he breathed.  
"Maybe you won't have to. I mean, it isn't like you guys ended on decent terms. She probably doesn't want to see you anyway."  
"When have you known Dallas to avoid trouble?"  
"True."  
"I'm so fucked man," Kevin groaned.  
"You'll be fine."  
"I'm married. I have a kid. My life is finally normal again. I can't deal with having her here. Not now."  
"I mean, to be honest, you completely broke her heart, Kev. I'm not completely sold on the idea that she would even want to know that you still exist, much less actually interact with you. She might want to cause some aggravation for you, but I dunno about her wanting to spend that much time around you."  
"Yeah, but you never really know with her. The woman is unpredictable. You know that just as well as I do."  
"That's true."  
"I just have to avoid her…"  
"You say that like it's so easy," Rami said. "We'll figure this out."  
Kevin thought for a moment. "Maybe I can get this taken care of," he said, standing up. "I'll be right back. I have to go talk to someone." With that he left a confused Rami and headed to see the one person who might be able to help him out.

* * *

"What the hell are you two doing?" the referee scolded both Dallas and Paige, under his breath so that only the two women could hear him. Paige had Dallas locked in the PTO, while the clock had run out on their match a couple of minutes ago.  
"Oh shut up," Paige shot back.  
Dallas skillfully managed to grab onto the ropes, forcing her opponent to break the hold. The referee pulled Paige away from the recovering newcomer. Dallas held onto the ropes, using them to help her get to her feet. As Paige charged over to her again, Dallas kicked her in the face causing the self-proclaimed Anti-Diva to fall to the mat. The crowd was loud and chanting 'This is Awesome!' animatedly.  
The re-energized Diva walked over to the other side of the ring, waiting for Paige to sit up. When she did so, the brunette ran across the ring and performed her finisher, a variation of the Shining Wizard, before quickly pinning her.  
Dallas got the three-count, and the WWE Universe went absolutely wild for the newest Diva. Dallas climbed onto the top rope, raising an arm in the air, before hopping back down. She signaled for a microphone, which she was handed.  
Standing over Paige's limp body, a smile crossed Dallas's lips. "And that, my friend, is how it's done," she said breathlessly, before dropping the microphone onto her opponent's body and rolling out of the ring. She headed up the ramp, eyes still on Paige, who was slowly getting up with the aid of the referee. The wicked smile on Dallas's face was captured by the cameras, before she disappeared into the back.  
As soon as Dallas made it passed the gorilla position, she wasn't at all surprised to find a clearly angry Stephanie and Paul, their arms folded over their chests.  
"What the hell was that?!" Stephanie barked.  
"That was freakin' awesome! And the people really seemed to like it, too," she nonchalantly replied.  
"You had ten minutes. Not fifteen. That puts us behind. We have another match to go, and you cut away from their time."  
Dallas raised an eyebrow. "My apologies. I hope they can make the most of their twenty-five minutes, now that they won't have a full thirty," she quipped.  
"Excuse me?" Stephanie questioned. Dallas could practically see the steam coming out of her ears. She clearly wasn't used to someone not backing down. And Dallas was one who never backed down. Hence her troubles with the trainers in NXT.  
"The Divas Revolution is in full swing now," she commented with a bubblegum smile.  
Paige walked into the back, and Stephanie's eyes immediately darted over to her. "Dallas, Paige, my office. Now," Stephanie demanded.  
"Uh oh," Dallas muttered, as the two followed the big boss's daughter into her makeshift office in the arena.  
Once inside, both Dallas and Paige sat down, while Stephanie took a seat at her desk. "Where the hell do the two of you get off pulling a stunt like that?" she snarled.  
"What do you mean?" Dallas questioned, feigning an innocent look.  
Stephanie narrowed her eyes at the newcomer. "Don't you dare start playing games with me, Dallas. You know exactly what I'm talking about."  
The younger brunette tried her hardest not to laugh in her boss's face. "Listen, I know you're mad, and I understand why. But look at the bright side, your coveted Diva's Revolution got a nice bump tonight. Everyone out there was going crazy for us," Dallas tried to defend herself and Paige against the pissed off woman sitting in front of them.  
"But giving your match extra time is not your call to make. That's my call. And Saraya, you know a hell of a lot better than to do something like this."  
"This isn't her fault at all, Stephanie. This was completely my idea. It was all me. I thought that we deserved some extra time, so I decided that it would be perfectly okay if I made sure that we got it," Dallas quickly confessed, not wanting Saraya to get into any trouble for what she had conspired to do in the first place.  
"You haven't even been here for a whole day. What makes you think that you can just do that because you feel like it?" Stephanie incredulously questioned.  
"I dunno. What makes you think that the WWE Universe wants to see Sheamus vs. Randy Orton for the three-hundredth and ninety-second time? All questions with answers that have alluded us here tonight," she replied with a shrug.  
"You really need to watch your attitude, Dallas. You don't want to get fired on your first night here," Stephanie warned her.  
Dallas rolled her eyes, as Saraya decided to step in and put this runaway train to a halt. She didn't want to have to say goodbye to her friend after only just having her on the roster with her. And quite frankly, Dallas was digging herself quite a hole. "Stephanie, I'm sorry. I know a lot better than this, and I still went along with it anyway. But I can promise you that it will never happen again," she quickly apologized.  
"It better not," Stephanie shot.  
"It won't," Saraya reiterated.  
"Thank you." There was a silence between the three, before Stephanie finally spoke again. "Saraya, can you please give me a few minutes with Dallas? I have another issue that I need to deal with, and it involves her."  
"Um…okay," Saraya hesitantly replied, before getting up and walking out of the office, closing the door behind herself. Dallas was a little confused as to what else Stephanie needed to talk to her about. Quite frankly, the only trouble she had caused what the whole match time thing. She hadn't even had enough time to do anything else that would warrant a conversation with Stephanie McMahon, not that she thought it would have taken her much longer to get into some more trouble, but still. She'd been otherwise well-behaved.  
"So, Dallas, if it wasn't bad enough that you're here for your first night on the main roster, and you're already taking liberties that you have no right to take, would you care to explain to me why I'm already getting complaints about you making Superstars feel uncomfortable?" Stephanie questioned, folding her hands together on top of the desk.  
"What are you talking about? No one should be complaining about me yet. I've barely seen anyone here. I saw some of the Divas and Claudio, and I doubt any of them would be complaining about me," she replied, completely flabbergasted.  
"Are you sure about that? Because there's someone else who felt it was necessary to come to me about you being here."  
"I'm positive." Dallas thought for a moment. "Is this about Kevin?" she finally asked, feeling frustration flowing through her veins.  
"So you do know what I'm talking about."  
"Motherf—. Well, I haven't seen or spoke to that son of a bitch in like two years, but I figured that he might be pretty pissed off to see me here," Dallas admitted with a groan. "Stephanie, I swear, I haven't even seen him since I've been here. And if I did, I have absolutely nothing that I need to or want to say to him anyway."  
The WWE's Chief Brand Officer raised a curious eyebrow. "Did something happen between you two, or…?"  
Dallas rolled her eyes. "I dated that stupid asshole," she told her. "And I'm not really sure exactly why he would want to start making my life more difficult. I never did anything to him. He's the one who's the dickhead."  
"Care to explain?"  
"Not really."  
"Dallas…"  
"Fine. I dated that piece of shit for five years, until I found out that he was cheating on me and knocked that chick up. Hence the wife and kid he has now," Dallas explained, her tone quickly becoming angrier with each word that left her lips.  
"Oh…well, then…okay. I'll take your word that you haven't interacted with him," Stephanie spoke, realizing she'd stepped into some serious territory that she did not want to be a part of. "Listen, Dallas," she breathed. "I know you mean well, and I know that you really do care about the Diva's division, but don't go around giving yourself more time and things like that. Okay? If you need something, ask. Don't take. I'm sure we can work things out to make sure we're all happy, from now on."  
"Understood."  
So ensued Stephanie's lecture that Dallas decided was probably the least of what could have happened to her for taking the extra time, so she sat there listening to what her boss had to say.


	3. Chapter 3

Rolling With the Punches

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. I own the OCs. That's pretty much how this goes.

* * *

 **A/N: I can not tell you how excited I am that I got a review from my bis sis mmiamitravel...thank you my love :) I do have a lot of updating to do. And now, I'm attempting to do it from my phone, while I'm at work lol A huge thank you, as well, to CiCix3 and DenyingTheTruth for their wonderful reviews :) Hope you all enjoy this one, as we're getting deeper into this crazy story. Love you guys! XoXoXo**

* * *

Dallas walked out of the door to Stephanie's office, feeling particularly pissed off. After everything that he had done to her, now Kevin was going to try and take her job away from her, too? She wanted to hunt that bastard down and kick the living shit out of him. But she knew that she couldn't do that.

Heading towards the locker room, Dallas was lost in her thoughts and not completely paying attention to her surroundings, when someone, seemingly purposefully, knocked into her. She stumbled back but managed to catch herself before she fell. Looking up, Dallas found herself being glared at by the man she recognized as Jon Moxley.

"What the fuck was that about?" she snarled at the man towering over her.

"I don't know who the fuck you think you are, but don't you ever think that you can go ahead and fuck up my match because you think you deserve extra time. You're not that special, sweetheart. No one gives a flying shit about any Divas match," he snorted at her, his nostrils flaring.

"I'm sorry, but you need to shut the fuck up now. I don't know who _you_ think _you_ are, but don't you dare talk to me that way. I don't give a fuck who you are. I don't give a fuck about how you feel about the Diva's division. And I certainly don't give a fuck about your match," Dallas shot back, crossing her arms over her chest.

Though he towered over by more than a foot, Dallas refused to back down. The last thing that she was going to do was let anyone walk all over her. Kevin was already fucking with her, and she wasn't going to let Jon do the same thing. He took a step closer to her, attempting to intimidate the much smaller woman. "Don't fuck with me," he growled.

A smirk formed on her face. "And what the fuck are you gonna do about it? Are you gonna kick my ass or something? You're at least a foot taller than me and outweigh me probably a hundred pounds. Don't think that would end up with keeping your job…or your freedom for that matter," she snapped at him. "So please, try me."

"You think you're hot shit, don't you?"

She shrugged. "Think? I know I'm hot shit, pal. Seems like the crowd thought so, too," she instigated, enjoying how easily she had managed to piss him off.

"Trust me, you'll never get a pop like I do." The smirk on his face only encouraged Dallas to continue trying to irritate him.

"Oh Moxley, I think I will. And I also think you're an ass."

"What did you just call me?"

"Moxley. Oh wait…you're Dean Ambrose now. My bad. A word of warning, _Mox_ , don't fuck with me. It won't end well for you."

With that, she pushed passed the six-foot-four Superstar and continued on her merry way to the locker room, a smirk still adorning her lips.

Finally reaching the door to the locker room, Dallas walked in. "What happened with Steph?" Saraya immediately asked, running over to her friend, as she shut the door behind herself.

Dallas shook her head. "Fucking Kevin is already bitching about me being here."

"Are you fucking kidding me?!"

"I wish I was, my little crumpet," Dallas breathed, as she took a seat on the bench.

"He's such a stupid bastard," Saraya spoke through gritted teeth.

"Oh trust me, I'll return the favor," she assured her. "I didn't want to deal with him when I got here. But now…now I'm going to make him miserable and do what I can to ruin his life." The wicked grin on her face assured Saraya that her friend meant business.

"Good. Even I want to take that dickhead down."

* * *

"Man, I don't know if that was a good idea," Rami spoke, shaking his head at Kevin in the locker room.

"What? Why not?"

"Because Dallas didn't do anything wrong. You just don't want her around because you know that one, she doesn't like you, two, you're married, and three…you still want to fuck her."

"I don't want to fuck her," Kevin defended himself.

"Bullshit…you gotta admit…she looks amazing."

"You sound like you want to fuck her," Kevin quipped.

"Maybe I do…"

The look Kevin shot his best friend was one that could probably kill. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Relax, man. I am kidding. Just busting your balls." He paused. "You know Stephanie is going to say something to her, right?"

"You think so?"

Rami nodded. "And Dallas is gonna know that you went ahead and complained about her, and you're gonna look like a huge asshole."

"Like I could look like more of an asshole to her."

"True." Rami shook his head. "She is gonna be pissed," he said with a chuckle.

The locker room door opened, and Colby walked in. "Dude, what the fuck happened with Dallas?" he questioned.

Kevin furrowed his brow in confusion. "Nothing…"

"Did you try to get her in trouble or some shit? Because Claudio was flipping the fuck out about something. All I could understand was your name and something about Dallas. I dunno. He seemed really pissed off. I don't even know what language he was speaking."

"I told you she'd say something," Rami shot, matter of factly.

"Shit," Kevin cursed under his breath.

"What'd you do?"

"He told Stephanie that Dallas was making him uncomfortable, and he didn't like having her around," Rami ratted his best friend out.

"What the fuck…why would you do that?" Colby questioned.

"I just figured that if Stephanie thought that it'd be a problem to have her around, she might keep her in NXT…away from me," Kevin explained.

"I don't think that's gonna happen. Everyone loves Dallas. So, he's probably staying," Colby pointed out.

"Fuck!" he snapped. "I really don't need this shit."

"I mean, she shouldn't have to stay away from the WWE because you're married and don't want to deal with your ex-girlfriend working here…especially when you're the one who made it a shitty situation by cheating on her," Rami pointed out.

"Not the time, man," Kevin breathed warningly.

"That's alright. Soon enough she'll forget about being mad at you anyway. Jon's already starting shit with her for cutting into his match," Colby told them.

Kevin raised an eyebrow. "How the fuck do you know all of this? You're like a teenage girl with all of your gossip."

"I'm just always in the middle of the…action," Colby said, nonchalantly with a shrug.

"What did Good say?" Rami questioned.

"They had a little spat before. He knocked into her and told her off, and she went right back at him. I kind of wish I saw it. Dallas is good when it comes to pissing people off."

"Ain't that the truth?" Kevin muttered.

"Well, hopefully she'll be distracted with Good and won't focus her anger on you…but I doubt that'll happen."

* * *

"I just don't know who the hell she thinks she is," Jon Good growled.

"Dude, relax. It's not a big deal. So you lost five minutes? Is that really going to kill you?" Joe Anoa'i replied.

"Yes. It could. Who the fuck is that bitch, though, to not only steal that time from my match, but then, she gets in my face about it?"

The Samoan laughed. "I doubt she got in your face. She's pretty short," he replied.

"You know what I mean. She was like a little Chihuahua who just kept on yapping away."

Joe raised an eyebrow. "A very good-looking Chihuahua."

"I didn't notice," he replied.

"Because you're too busy bitching about five minutes."

"If it was your match, you'd be pissed off, too."

Joe gave him a look. "No," he flatly replied, shaking his head and pressing his lips together. "It's five minutes, dude. If my whole match got scrapped, maybe I'd be annoyed, but losing five minutes out of like what? Thirty? Not such a big deal."

"Well, if she wasn't such a bitch, maybe I wouldn't have such a problem with it," Jon muttered.

Joe chuckled. "Oh because I'm sure you politely walked up to her and kindly asked her to not do that again. Right?"

"Well, not exactly…"

"That's what I thought. How did your little confrontation go?"

Jon scratched the back of his neck. "I mean, I may have bumped into her, and…it's possible that I may have been a little heated," he sheepishly admitted.

"As in you literally bumped into her?"

"As in more like I may have knocked into her and yeah…"

"You're ridiculous.

"She called me Moxley."

"Well…I guess that makes sense."

"How?"

"Do you not realize who she is?" Joe questioned with a furrowed brow.

Jon shrugged. "No. Is she important or something?" he asked, in reply, though he didn't particularly care.

"Dallas is from CZW and ROH among others. She's a fucking bad ass," Joe told him. "I'm pretty sure that she was in CZW at the same time you were…at least for a little while."

"Oh…wait. That's her?!"

"I mean, I think so, from what I've heard around, at least."

"I never met her. But I've heard of her. She's the one who had that match with Sara, where she got hit in the head with a pipe and was seriously busted open but wouldn't let the match end. They had to rush her to the hospital afterwards and staple her head shut."

"That'd be her."

Jon nodded in approval for a moment before the scowl returned to his face. "Still doesn't mean she can steal my time," Jon shot back.

Joe rolled his eyes. "I think you'll survive. Relax, man. Besides she's new here."

"So, I don't fucking care. Put the bitch in NXT."

"They did. She trained for NXT, but instead of debuting her there, they wanted her to come here."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Colby told me."

"How would he know?"

Joe shrugged. "Beats me. You know him. He's the gossip queen on the locker room. He's always in everyone's business."

"Yeah. I don't really get that. He should be the last one interested in gossip considering what he did…or who he did. I mean, his dick is on the internet now. That shit will be there forever."

"Yeah…I dunno about that one. He mentioned that Dallas's ex-boyfriend works here, too. But I didn't catch who."

"Leave it to the newbie to bring the drama," Jon groaned. "She can jump on that Total Divas train and ride it all the way to the bank. Set women's wrestling back a couple of more decades, while she's at it."

"What's up your ass today? You're being awfully bitchy. Is it that time of the month, Good?"

Jon shot a glare at his friend. I just don't like dealing with some bitch who doesn't know how to behave."

"Right? You're one to talk. You know how to behave," Joe sarcastically shot. "You're the one pushing a woman around, you idiot."

Jon waved him off. "What are you? Her bodyguard or something?" he snorted.

"Don't get yourself in trouble." He gave his friend a mischievous smile. "Don't I always, though?"

"Yes. And that's why I'm telling you not to."

"I can't make any promises."

"Of course not."


	4. Chapter 4

Rolling With the Punches

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Don't take it so seriously.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm having so much fun writing this one. I don't know why I enjoy writing conflict so much...besides the fact that I'm crazy. I hope you are all enjoying this. I would love some feedback from you guys :) A huge thanks to one of my faves DenyingTheTruth. Love you guys XoXoXo**

* * *

Dallas as in her hotel room after Monday Night Raw. The Smackdown taping the next night was only a few hours away…not to mention, she wasn't going to be on it anyway. But she would be driving with Saraya, Becky, and Ashley. She was looking forward to being able to spend some time with her friends.

A knock on her door caught her off guard. Climbing out of her bed, in a pair of black yoga shorts and a gray Performance Center t-shirt, Dallas walked over to and opened the door. She raised an eyebrow, surprised to see Rami standing there.

"Well, hello there," she greeted suspiciously. The two used to be quite close…practically like family. But once Kevin broke things off with her, he also cut ties with the short brunette.

"Hey Dal," he greeted. The air between the two was already awkward.

"Is there a reason you're here? I'm sure your little boyfriend wouldn't appreciate it," she shot at him.

"I was wondering if you wanted to grab a beer with me…you know…catch up a little bit," he spoke, avoiding her eyes.

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Did Kevin put you up to this?" Try to get me alone and ambush me or something?"

"No…no. It's not about him."

"Well, if I recall correctly…and I do…you completely cut ties with me at one of the most miserable times in my entire life…that was all about him."

There was overwhelming guilt in Rami's eyes. "I know, Dal. And that was really fucked up on my part. I'm sorry. I just…I saw your match and heard that you were on the road with us now, and I wanted to see you and chat. We used to be so close."

"Well, if we're gonna be honest here, there's only one person to blame for that."

"I know. And I want to try and fix it."

Dallas thought for a moment, before sighing. "Fine. Come in. I'll get changed, and we can go," she caved.

A smiled formed on Rami's face. "Thank you."

"Yeah. Yeah. Yeah." He walked in, and she shut the door. She made her way over to her suitcase, quickly pulling out a pair of denim shorts, a short-sleeved top, and a bra. Her back to Rami, she quickly shed herself of her shorts, slipping the other ones on. Dallas pulled her top off and put her bra on, followed by her form-fitting top. Turning around, she smiled at the man standing there, the glint of amusement in his eyes.

"Alright. Let's go, before I change my mind," she said, grabbing her bag.

"Cool." The two left her hotel room and headed towards the elevator. "So…I guess not too much has changed with you. Still have no problem taking your clothes off in front of me like it's no big deal," he spoke, his voice playful.

Dallas chuckled. "Well…what can I say?"

The pair got into the elevator and headed down towards the lobby. "You look really great, Dal. Better than ever, actually."

"Thanks. I've been working hard."

"So I've seen."

"Oh? You've been keeping tabs on me, you big creeper?"

"Of course I have. We were really close. You don't just stop caring about someone because…you know…shit happens."

"Well, people can change."

"You haven't."

"Of course _I_ haven't. I'm still the same big-mouthed, stubborn, troublemaking ass kicker that I've always been." The elevator doors opened, and the pair headed out, quickly exiting their hotel. "I'm sure you've changed, though."

Rami shot her a confused look. "Oh? And why's that?"

"You used to be like my brother. But instead of being there for me, when I needed you, you dropped me the second that Kevin did," she replied. "The Rami I was besties with for all those years would have never done that."

"I was stupid, Dal."

She shrugged. "Whatever."

"It was a weird situation, and I didn't think that I could still be friends with the both of you," he lamely explained his actions.

"Okay, but you picked the lying, cheating son of a bitch over me. That's all. Sounds like you made the right choice there," Dallas bitterly shot.

"I can spend the entire night apologizing to you for what I did, or we can catch up with each other, have some beers and shit, and have fun…again."

"Or we can spend the night drinking, while you apologize profusely for being a fucking terrible friend," she suggested with an instigative smirk.

Rami laughed. "Well, there's that option, too." The approached the entrance of the small dive bar. Rami held the door open for Dallas. She walked in and was closely followed by her former best friend. They sat on two empty barstools, in what was essentially a fairly empty bar. The bartender quickly approached the pair.

"What can I get you?" he asked.

"I'll have a Sam Adams, and the lady will have a Bud Light," he ordered for the two of them. The bartender quickly got their drinks, and Rami handed over his credit card to start a tab. After all, if he was going to spend his night apologizing and trying to fix his broken friendship with Dallas, he would need to get her pretty buzzed.

"How do you know I still drink Bud Light?" she questioned, pursing her lips stubbornly. She was determined to make him squirm.

"Because in the years that I've known you, you've never strayed from it. It was always your favorite." He paused. "Am I right? Or are you going to pretend that you don't like it just to try and be a bitch?"

"Well, obviously, you're right. But still…I'm going to have to be a bitch. It's not something I can control, ya know?"

Rami chuckled. "Yeah. I figured as much."

The pair took a few drinks of their beers, the tension was still there, but it was somehow diminishing through the silence. "So…how've you been?" Dallas asked her former friend and current drinking partner.

"Good. Injured."

"I know. You think you're the only one who keeps tabs here? I'm just as resourceful, my dear friend."

"I should've known you would." Rami paused. "How are you?"

"Good…other than that fucking asshole telling Stephanie that I'm making him uncomfortable," she replied with a scowl.

"Yeah…heard about that."

"Yeah. You know, it's not bad enough that he did what he did to me, but now, for some reason that I can't seem to figure out, he wants to ruin my career, too. What a nice fucking guy that Kevin Steen has turned out to be," she breathed with an annoyed roll of her eyes.

"I bitched him out for it. I'm on your side. After everything, that's a pretty fucked up thing to do," he agreed with her.

"What-the-fuck-ever. It's his problem. Not mine. I don't want to have anything to do with him. He's an asshole. I know that he's your best friend and all of that bullshit, but he's such a dick…and an awful person."

"I mean, he was definitely a dick to you. Everyone knows that." Rami paused. "Have you dated anyone since the two of you broke up?"

She smirked. "I mean, dated in the sense that I've fucked around a bit, but I'm sure you've heard the rumors about my…behavior."

"I've heard rumors, but I choose not to believe everything that I hear."

"Don't give me too much credit. Most of them ae probably true."

Rami raised an eyebrow. "So, you've only slept with some of the guys?"

"Yeah. Probably less than ten." She thought for a moment. "Well, somewhere around ten, I think. I mean…I was vulnerable. My vagina needed to be consoled."

Rami almost spit out the beer he had just taken into his mouth but ended up choking on it slightly, as he coughed and took another sip of his beer. "Oh, Dal…"

She shrugged nonchalantly. "Listen, I was pretty upset for a while. I was dealing with a lot. So, I did what I had to."

"You did what you had to? You had to do an entire locker room?" he questioned with a chuckle in his voice.

Smirking, she replied, "yes."

"Fair enough."

"Well, well, well, look what we have here…if it isn't my new best friend," a familiar voice spoke from next to Dallas's ear.

"Hey Moxley. What an unpleasant surprise. I didn't know they allowed animals in here. The health department might have a huge problem with this," she spoke, turning around, a wicked grin adorning her lips, before she took another drink of her beer.

"I didn't either, but ya know…I saw you in here and figured I'd be good," he retorted, an evil smirk of his own on his face.

"Come on, Jon. Down boy. Let's move alone," Joe said, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder, tying to encourage him to leave Dallas alone.

"Oh, man. Your owner isn't gonna let you play tonight? Keeping the mangy mutt on a short leash tonight, are we?" she taunted.

"Yup. He's already gotten himself into too much trouble today. Gotta make sure I have him under control," Joe replied, giving her a wink.

"We haven't officially met yet. I'm Dallas," she politely introduced herself, offering her hand to him.

"Watch it, slut. He's married," Jon quipped.

Joe bumped him in the arm with his shoulder. "Watch it."

"You're one to talk," she commented, as Joe took her hand and shook it.

"I'm Joe. It's nice to meet you, Dallas."

"It's nice to meet you, too. So…you seem like too much of a nice guy to be hanging out with this miscreant."

"This miscreant is his best friend," Jon interjected with a smug smile.

"Ah! Okay! I get it. Very charitable of you, Joe," she said giving him a knowing, sympathetic look.

Joe tried his hardest to suppress the laughter threatening to burst out. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Jon growled at her, sending a glare in the brunette's direction.

"What does it sound like?" she asked, an amused smirk residing on her lips. Both Joe and Rami exchanged similar looks and continued trying to control their facial expressions from encouraging Jon and Dallas any further.

"It sounds like you think you're a comedian or something," he snarled.

Dallas placed a gentle hand on his chest. "It's okay, Moxley. We all know that you're a very, very special boy," she antagonized him.

Once again, a smirk took over Jon's lips. He leaned in towards her ear, his lips grazing her skin. "Trust me, sweetheart. I'm no boy. I'm all man," he spoke, so only she could hear the suggestive words he spoke. He stood up straight.

"Well, I find that incredibly hard to believe," she retorted with a smile that only further made its way under his skin.

"Ram, you may want to be careful with this one. I hear she's pretty diseased," Jon spoke, his eyes locking onto hers. "I hear she knows how to make her way around a locker room. You'll probably want to make sure you wrap it up before you fuck her." The satisfied, arrogant expression on his face only succeeding in infuriating her.

"Oh Mox, don't be such a sore sport. Just because I won't fuck with your grimy dick doesn't make me a whore. You, however, your reputation precedes you. We all know what you do in your spare time…you love to fuck those loose, grimy, trashy ring rats…probably because anyone with the slightest bit of class…or self-respect won't touch you with a ten foot pole."

"First of all, the fact that you'll fuck anyone even a little bit willing is what makes you a whore. Secondly, you—"

"Okay, then. You two, please enjoy the rest of your night. We'll be on the other side of the bar, nowhere near you," Joe cut Jon off, before he could continue flinging insults in her direction. He quickly pulled his friend away.

Dallas turned back to Ram. "What the hell was that about?" her former friend questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh that? Jon just doesn't like it when a woman puts him in his place. That's all." She paused. "Anyway, how has WWE life been treating you?"

"I'm always getting injured for some reason. It's like my body has some kind of problem with me succeeding or something."

"You'll heal. You'll come back. And it'll all be fine. You'll be kicking ass in no time," she assured him.

"I hope so. It's really frustrating."

She took another drink of her beer. "Maybe it's karma's way of biting you in the ass for turning your back on me."

"Maybe it is," he replied. The pair continued drinking their beers, of which they consumed quite a number of. They caught up on the events of each other's lives in the time that they hadn't been in contact, bringing up some of the more important details of their lives to fill in the timeline of the last two years.

Both Dallas and Rami were happy to finally reconnect with each other, as they had been so close before she and Kevin had broken up. And it was bad enough that she had lost the man that she truly thought she would be spending the rest of her life with, but losing Rami, as well, was a blow that had hit her just as hard. Being able to spend some time with each other made both Dallas and Rami incredibly happy.

* * *

"Dude, what the fuck is your issue?" Joe asked Jon, whose eyes were focused on the woman sitting at the opposite end of the bar.

"What?! I don't fucking like her," he defended himself.

"So quit staring at her, and quit talking about her for five minutes." It amused Joe to no end that his friend seemed so preoccupied with the brunette.

"I just wanted to go over there and…punch her in the face," he muttered.

"Sounds to me like someone has a crush on the new girl," Joe teased.

The glare that the Samoan received for that comment caused the Superstar known as Roman Reigns to laugh out loud. "I hate that bitch," the Lunatic Fringe snarled.

"Is that what the kids are calling it these days?"

"Do you want to get my beer poured over your head?" Jon threated.

"You wouldn't waste the beer," Joe dismissed the empty threat that had been sent his way, a satisfied grin residing on his lips.

"Fuck. You know me too well for my own good."

Joe laughed. "Unfortunately I know you too well for my own good, too," he replied. He slapped his friend on the back. "Just chill out man. You're acting like a jackass…not that it's anything new, but come on. She's a woman."

"Ha! More like a bitch."

"You're hopeless."

"Yeah. Yeah."


	5. Chapter 5

Rolling With the Punches

Chapter 5

Disclaimer: This did not happen in real life. It's fictional.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello, loves! A huge thank you to: miamitravel (Hahaha I like to keep it entertaining. Love you sis!), DenyingTheTruth (Truth be told, they're just two crazy psychopaths lol), and alibob687 (I know! I'm terrible. Not to mention, I also have like 4 others that I'm writing that I really shouldn't be writing...while I'm working on next chapters for 5 other stories, and this one. I give myself too much work lol good thing my job is boring, and I can sit at my desk and spend a decent amount of time writing there lol I'm glad you're enjoying it. Don't worry, I'll make sure to keep upping the tension, until those two can't take it anymore.). I hope everyone else is enjoying this, as well. Let me know what you think...suggestions, constructive criticism, etc. I've also been posting it on AO3. Anyways, love you guys! XoXoXo**

* * *

Backstage at the Smackdown taping, Dallas was in catering with Saraya. She was drinking a bottle of water, while her friend was eating a plate of French fries.

"Well, I'm glad you two were able to hang out and work out some of yours issues," the raven-haired Diva said, after Dallas explained that she ended up going out to the bar with Rami, the previous night.

"Yeah. It was really nice to talk to him again and hang out and all," the brunette agreed with a nod.

"And what's with all of this shit with Ambrose? He seems to really be pissed off at you for something."

Shrugging, Dallas took another drink of her water. "I dunno about him. He got his panties in a bunch or whatever because our match last night cut into the big baby's match, and I'm pretty sure he's got his period this week. So, he's just running around, acting like a little bitch. I should give him a tampon and some Midol. Then, maybe he'll stop being such a twat," she dismissed the six-foot-four Superstar with an eye roll.

"Well, lookie here, if I haven't found two of the most beautiful women on the planet," Matt Rehwoldt spoke, walking over to their table, sitting to the right of Dallas.

"Hey! What's up, homeslice?" the brunette greeted, as she turned her head, not moving her body, as her legs were stretched out across the chair to her left.

"Not too much. Same old. How's the main roster treating you?" the NXT Superstar known as Aiden English questioned.

"Oh you know…fun, as always. I keep it interesting wherever I go. You know how I do," she casually replied.

He chuckled at her comment. "And you champ?" Matt asked, his eyes focusing on the two-time Diva's Champion.

"You know me…same as always. Nothing interesting going on really," she replied with playful tone. "How's my girl Shaully doing?"

"She's good. Doing her thing."

"Dude, you have to bring her around some time. I miss her," Saraya whined.

"I know. I know. She keeps telling me that she wants to come visit at some point," he replied with a grin. "She misses you two…more than she misses being here."

"You suck, Matty Boy."

"Wow. You know you really can't deny being a complete slut when every single time I find you, you're with a different guy," Jon's familiar rasp filled her ears, eliciting an eye roll from the recipient of the comment.

"Oh shut up you dickbag. Just because no one but poor Joe wants to be your friend doesn't mean that I can't have friends of either gender," she shot back.

"I've been friends with Dallas for like a year already," Matt defended himself. "Not to mention, I'm engaged."

The new five-foot-three addition to the Diva's division shook her head and put her hand up to stop her friend from even getting involved with the bullshit that came out of Jon's mouth. "Don't mind Moxley, here. He not only has absolutely no manners, but he's also just trying to piss me off. And it's killing him that I just keep on firing back instead of getting all pissy like he does," she explained with a snide smirk.

Matt raised an eyebrow. "Well, Dal, you certainly know how to keep things interesting wherever you go," he breathed.

"That's because she sleeps around wherever she goes," Jon chimed in.

"And yet I still won't sleep with you…even with my incredibly low standards. That's gotta reflect worse on you than it does me," she quipped with a chuckle.

Both Saraya and Matt exchanged a wide-eyed look, doing the best they could to keep their laughs suppressed. Dallas gave the former United States Champion a sympathetic smile that succeeded in irritating him.

"Because I want a piece of that used up body? No, thank you."

She let out a condescending laugh, finding herself entertained by her exchanges with the Superstar. "I'm pretty sure that at this point, you'd take what you could get. You know what they say…beggars can't be choosers, Moxley."

"You're a real bitch," Jon snarled.

"Aw thank you," she said, gently placing a hand over her heart. "I've been trying so hard. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm trying to talk to my friends…you know…people that I actually like. You're not a part of that group, so move along."

Jon didn't move.

"You heard the lady. Let's move on and leave her alone, Good," Joe spoke from behind him, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. It didn't take long for the former Shield member to walk away, clearly frustrated with the exchange that had just taken place. Joe turned and gave Dallas a friendly wink and a smile, as he followed Jon to an empty table.

Dallas laughed. "I've gotta say, that jackass really keeps me so entertained," she breathed, slapping a hand to her thigh.

"Oh really? Because he's kind of a dick to you," Matt pointed out, raising an eyebrow at the woman sitting next to him.

"Trust me, he doesn't bother me in the least. I've dealt with a hell of a lot worse than the likes of that one," she brushed it off with a shrug.

"Are you sure? Because if he's bothering you, I'll be more than happy to kick his ass," Saraya offered.

"Yeah. I'll do it, too," Matt told her.

"I'm dead serious. Moxley seriously doesn't bother me. Really, he's just kind of like…entertainment for me. I'm not concerned with him," Dallas brushed the incident off, as if it were not the bigger deal her friends thought it was.

"Is there someone else that we should be concerned about?" Matt curiously asked, reading deeper into his friend's words.

"I mean, you should all probably be concerned for Steen's well-being, if that pussy ever decides to man up and say something to my face," she muttered.

Saraya chuckled. "Oh trust me, I'm plenty concerned for his well-being, but whatever happens…he's asked for. And not only because of what he had done to you but for trying to get you in trouble with the company already. You don't need his help for that. You can do it all on your own," she replied.

"What'd Steen do?"

"He told Stephanie that I was making him uncomfortable or whatever," Dallas breathed, anger flashing in her chocolate eyes.

Matt furrowed his bow. "What'd you do?"

"I haven't even seen his stupid ass."

"Oh…what'd Stephanie do?" he asked.

"She believed me when I told her that I hadn't even seen him. But I got really lucky with that one…she was already really pissed off at me for the whole 'she gave us ten minutes, but I took fifteen' incident."

"Well, I'm not surprised that you were causing trouble on day one," he breathed.

"What can I say? Of all the things I can do, making trouble is what I do best," the brunette replied, leaning back in her chair, smirking.

"No wonder we get along so well," Saraya commented.

"Exactly. We should be a tag team," Dallas thought aloud.

"You guys would kill it together," Matt agreed.

"We really would," the inaugural NXT Women's Champion replied.

"Well, ladies, I've gotta run and take care of some things. But hopefully we don't go too long without hanging out. You're two of the few women who don't make me want to throw up," Matt said, standing up from his chair.

"Love you, Matty," Dallas said, as he leaned down, giving her a quick hug, before giving Saraya one, as well, before he left the catering area.

"I love that guy," the shorter of the two Divas commented.

"He's awesome. I'm glad he's finally getting pushed."

"Yeah. He more than deserves to have the spotlight on him. Plus, he and John are great together. I was so excited when they won the tag titles."

"Oh my God. Yes. That entire show was amazing."

Dallas nodded. "Part of me is a little sad that I didn't get to debut in NXT. I really loved training there."

"NXT was a lot of fun," Saraya agreed.

"Just rub it in, why don't you?" her friend replied with a laugh.

* * *

"Man, if you want to be friends with her, that's your choice. I just don't want to be anywhere near her," Kevin told Rami, as the two men headed down the hallway.

"You don't have to be near her, see her, talk to her, have anything to do with her, but I had a lot of fun with her last night. I missed hanging out with her." He opened the door to catering and walked in, followed by his longtime best friend.

Both men stopped in their tracks, as the familiar sound of a woman's laughter rang out. Both sets of eyes focused on Dallas, who was sitting at a table with Saraya.

The former girlfriend of the larger of the two men was in a pair of red denim shorts and a white form fitting tank top. Her long multi-colored hair was down. She wore a pair of white flip flops, as her feet her up on the chair next to her, ankles crossed. Rami turned to look at his friend. He couldn't read the expression on his face. They both thought that they could turn around and walk away right now, without being seen.

Then, Saraya's eyes found them. Her mouth dropped open. It was too late to walk away now. They were caught. Dallas turned around to see what had her friend seemingly surprised. Upon seeing Kevin, her face turned to stone.

"I guess we can't walk away unnoticed now," Rami joked. "I have to go say hi to her." He walked over towards Dallas with Kevin reluctantly following him.

"Hey Dal," Rami greeted, leaning down and giving her a hug.

"Hey," she said. Then, Dallas glanced over at Kevin. "Hey asshole. What a pleasure it is seeing you here," she greeted him, her words dripping with sarcasm.

"I'm pretty sure that's not my name," Kevin retorted with a sarcastic expression on his face, not one for shallow niceties.

She raised an eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure that your name is synonymous with it, so I think I'm still good there." Dallas paused, pursing her lips. "Trying to get me shitcanned already? Why's that? The little wifey isn't happy that the ex-girlfriend that she took her husband from is here?" Her tone taunted him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he questioned.

"Working. Same as you," she simply replied with a shrug.

Rami and Saraya…as well as about seventy-five percent of the room, stared at the former couple, in shock. This was an interaction that everyone had been anticipating. Watching it unfold was like a trainwreck. You just couldn't look away, no matter how uncomfortable the entire situation was turning out to be.

"You shouldn't be here," he muttered.

"I'm not the douchebag here, Kev. You've claimed that position already," she coolly replied, her eyes burning into him.

"I'm not gonna stop trying to get rid of you," he shot, giving her a smartass grin.

"Why the fuck would you do that? Am I still that important to you that you can't just leave me the fuck alone? Let's keep a couple of things in mind here, Steen. First of all, you're the one who cheated on me. You left me. I didn't do anything wrong or anything to deserve that. Secondly, you already tried to get me in trouble by whining to Stephanie like a little pussy that I was making big bad Kevin Steen uncomfortable, when I hadn't even seen you yet. Thirdly, you're the one giving me shit, when you're the one who's acted like a selfish, whiny little bitch this whole time." Dallas's glare was harsh and angry. "If you stay the hell out of my way, I'll stay out of yours, Steen. But don't you dare try to fuck with my career because I will not let that happen."

"Well, not much has changed, huh? Still think that you matter, Dallas?" he goaded her on, glad that he was succeeding in getting under her skin.

Calmly, Dallas stood up in front of him, hands on her hips. "Steen, go fucking bully someone else around. It's not my fault that you're a piece of shit," she sneered. "Leave me the fuck alone, you grimy motherfucker."

"Grimy? How the fuck do you figure?" he shot back.

"Because you're a cheating, lying, manipulating, repugnant piece of garbage. That's how, dickhole."

"Alright. Alright." Rami came between the former couple, putting some distance between them because they looked ready to come to blows. "Both of you are angry with each other. Dal, because he hurt you and continues to be a dick. And Kevin…because you're just mad that she's here. The both of you are not helping your sides by fighting in public. The last thing either of you need to do is get yourselves into more trouble."

"Then, tell your boy here to fuck off and leave me the hell alone," Dallas shot, raising a pissed off eyebrow.

"Kev, let's go," Rami said.

"Why the fuck should I go anywhere?" he protested.

"Because I said so," Rami replied, getting frustrated with the situation unfolding before him. He took his friend's arm and began trying to pull him out of the catering area. Though it took a few moments, Kevin ultimately decided to cooperate, and the pair left.

* * *

"What the fuck is with those two? That psycho bitch makes enemies with everyone she meets, huh?" Jon spoke, his eyes watching Dallas having some sort of heated confrontation with Kevin Steen, while everyone else was seemingly very interested in the unfolding drama and was watching them argue.

Joe raised an eyebrow. "Do you listen to anything that Colby says?"

"Eh. Not really no."

"Ugh. They're exes. He got his now wife pregnant while he was still with Dallas. And they were together for like…four or five years or something," Joe explained. "And when he found out that she was here, he went to Stephanie and tried to get her in trouble."

"Wait a second. Steen was banging her?" Jon asked his friend, in disbelief. Joe rolled his eyes at his friend's words and nodded. Jon thought about it for a moment, a frown on his lips, before nodding his head. "Good for him. Got a crack at that before everyone else did. Not bad."

"You're an idiot," Joe breathed.

"What?! She's a pain in the ass, but I mean…she is pretty fuckin' hot."

"Don't fuck her," the Samoan warned.

"I'm not gonna fuck her. She's too much of a fuckin' bitch to be around for too long," he brushed it off with an incredulous expression on his face.

"I know how you work, Good. I'm serious. You can't fuck her."

"I'm not going to," he insisted.

"You better not. I actually like her. So…don't fuck up our friendship with your dick."

"Me fucking her would have nothing to do with you being friends with her. You can be friends with whoever you want. My dick wouldn't mess that up."

"Yes, it would."

Jon rolled his eyes. "What-the-fuck-ever. It doesn't matter anyway. I'm not gonna fuck her, Joe."

"Famous last words," he breathed, shaking his head.


	6. Chapter 6

Rolling With the Punches

Chapter 6

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. It is not to be taken as fact. It is not intended to reflect on the real life people behind these characters. I own the content, as I made it up, and I own any OCs.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello my loves! I'm actually on my annual vacation right now in lovely Ocean City, Maryland, where we have nothing but rain and wind, so I'm sitting in the condo, drinking at 1:30 in the afternoon lol I figured since I already had this chapter typed up, I may as well post it. A huge thank you to: DenyingTheTruth (This one's for you!), Cougar3371 (I'm glad you love it. Your reviews always make me so happy!), and alibob687 (I'm happy you love it! And they may end up doing the no pants dance...lol hopefully sooner rather than later). So, here's the bridge chapter to what happens in chapter 7, which really starts to get the action moving along. I had to include Baron Corbin because I love him. I've figured out the entire premise for this one, and I'm so excited about it. I promise I haven't forgotten about any of the others, but this one is going to get a little out of hand...just how I'm sure you all like it. Please let me know what you think! Reviews always make me happy! Love you guys! XoXoXo**

* * *

"Come on, Raya. I need a drink…or fifteen," Dallas impatiently breathed, sitting on her friend's hotel room bed, waiting for her to finish getting ready. The pair had decided to make their way to a bar that evening to relax a little bit and have a couple of drinks. They wanted a low key night to hang out and not think about anything of any importance.

"Oh relax. Don't get your panties all twisted. I'm ready," the self-proclaimed Anti-Diva replied, coming out of the bathroom.

"Finally! Let's go." The women quickly left the hotel room and headed down to the lobby.

"You are so impatient," Saraya huffed.

"I've had a long day. I can't wait much longer for a drink," Dallas argued.

"That whole confrontation with Kevin was pretty brutal. I don't understand why he's being such an ass to you. He's the one who fucked up your relationship and acted like a douche. I just don't get any of it. There's no reason for him to cause any problems for you. You really haven't done anything to him."

"Right?! As if he hadn't gone above and beyond to prove that he's an asshole, but apparently, he isn't done trying to fuck my life up."

The two women walked out of the hotel, heading down the block, and across the street to the bar that they were planning on having an obscene number of beers at.

"You know, you look really cute tonight," Saraya commented her friend. Dallas wore a pair of dark denim shorts, a white, long-sleeved, low-cut crop top with a pair of black flip flops. It was casual, but she looked well put together.

"Thanks."

"Are you looking to get laid tonight or something?"

A smirk crossed Dallas's lips. "I'm not look to per se, but I wouldn't deny something, if it came along."

Saraya laughed. "You really can't help yourself, can you?"

"Listen, I've been on my best behavior since I signed with the WWE. I haven't slept with anyone in months," Dallas pointed out.

"Oh really? That's pretty…shitty."

The brunette nodded. "Yeah. It's terrible."

Saraya raised an eyebrow. "Have you wanted to sleep with anyone since you've been here?" she asked, smirking.

"I mean…what exactly do you mean when you say 'wanted to'. Let's be honest here…I have pretty low standards."

Laughing, Saraya grabbed her friend's arm. "This is one of the reasons why I love you. Is there any one person who you've kind of…pursued at all?"

"Well…kind of."

"Oh? And who's the lucky man? I have a feeling that I know…"

"Do you?"

"I have friends everywhere…"

Dallas smirked. "I bet you do."

The two walked into the small bar, quickly finding themselves an empty table to sit at. They sat down and almost immediately were approached by a bartender, who took their drink orders. Dallas and Saraya both ordered pitchers of beer.

"So…are you going to tell me who you are…or were planning on fucking around with?" the English Diva knowingly questioned her friend.

The pitchers of beer were brought to the table with a glass for each woman. They each quickly poured themselves glasses of beer. Dallas downed more than half of her glass almost immediately, as she was craving the alcohol to help relax her nerves.

"Wow. You really need that, huh?" The brunette nodded enthusiastically. "Are you going to tell me?" she repeated her question.

Dallas smirked. "Tom," she finally replied.

"Ha! I knew it! Dallas wants to bang Baron Corbin," she teased. "He's so tall. I feel like that would be so weird because you're so short."

"Maybe. But I like tall guys. You know how I do."

"Yeah, but he's like a foot and a half taller than you. If you can just sit in a chair, and if he's standing in front of you, can't he just…like whip his dick out and slap you in the face with it?" Saraya questioned with a laugh.

Dallas almost choked on her beer but managed to swallow the mouthful of Bud Light. "Probably." She was already filling up her second glass.

The bar's door opened, and in walked Jon and Joe. Both women rolled their eyes. "Fuck. Ambrose doesn't know how to stay away from you, does he?" Saraya snapped, sending a glare in his direction.

"Clearly, he didn't get the memo to stay the hell away from me. Just my luck," she sarcastically breathed.

Jon headed right for their table, but Joe quickly caught him by the shoulders and directed him to a table further away from them. Dallas shot an appreciative smile in the Samoan's direction. While she definitely enjoyed her arguments with Jon, it had been a long, stressful day, and the brunette just wanted to enjoy an easy night without any more drama.

"So, anyway, what's the story with your giant?" Saraya questioned, getting back to the subject they had been talking about.

"What did he tell you?"

"That you two had been texting and stuff. And that he really wants you," she explained. "Nothing major. I think he told me because he knows that we're friends. Maybe he thought I'd put in a good word for him."

"He's great. He wouldn't need a reference to get into my pants."

Saraya chuckled. "What's the whole story with you two?"

"A bunch of us went out one night. We were all having drinks. He was flirting with me, and he invited me back to his place but I had to be at the Performance Center at six the next morning, and I didn't want to be late or anything, so I had to turn him down," she explained. "And he's still been pretty flirty with me. Just through text message."

"Well, you know he's in California with us."

"I know. A bunch of the NXT people are here. I ran into them at the show. I like some of them more than I like most of the main roster people."

"Yeah. Can't say I disagree there." Saraya paused. "If you fucked Tom, Kevin would be fucking furious."

Dallas chuckled. "Fuck that dickbag."

"You know, your boy, Ambrose, keeps looking over here."

The brunette rolled her eyes, before smirking. She casually glanced over in his direction. Sure enough, her eyes caught his. Dallas winked at him. He raised an eyebrow. Then, she blew him a kiss, before turning to her nearly empty beer, which she quickly downed and refilled. Her pitcher was just about empty.

Dallas took a drink of her beer and emptied the rest of her pitcher into the glass. "I'm gonna get a refill," she said, before standing up and heading over to the bar, pitcher in hand.

While the bartender was refilling it, Jon stepped up next to her.

"You planning on slutting it up here?" he asked in an amused tone.

"I could ask you the same question." She raised her eyes to meet his. "You planning on being an asshole tonight, Mox?" she questioned.

"Definitely," he told her. "You didn't answer my question."

"Because your question was a dick question."

"Well, when you come to a bar dressed like this, you just look like you're planning on banging whoever you can find."

The bartender handed the full pitcher to Dallas. "Let's get one thing straight, Mox, I can dress however the fuck I want to, and it doesn't mean a damn thing," she shot, before turning around and heading back to the table.

"What was that about?" Saraya questioned.

Rolling her eyes, she spoke. "You know, the usual. Mox is being an ass and trying to get under my skin."

"What a surprise. So, back to this Tom thing…I can't believe that the two of you still haven't made anything happen. It's like he's got no game."

"He does. I've just been really busy."

"So, why don't you invite him here?"

"Because it's our night out…"

"Please. My boyfriend isn't here, so I won't be able to get any tonight. At least you can," she replied. "Text him."

"Okay…" Dallas pulled out her cell phone and sent a quick text to Tom, simply saying 'hi'.

Within moments, her phone went off. Saraya smirked. "Is that your loverboy?" she teasingly questioned.

Dallas glanced at the screen. Sure enough, it was Tom. "Hey beautiful. What's up?" she read aloud. Smirking to herself, she quickly typed out her response. 'I was wondering what you're doing tonight.'

'Alone in my hotel room…not really doing anything.'

'You should come to the bar across the street.'

"Is he coming?" Saraya impatiently asked. "I need you to get laid."

"Why do you need me to get laid?" she questioned with a laugh.

"If I can't, I would like you to. One of us has to."

Dallas's phone went off again. 'And why is that? Are you there?'

'Yup. With Saraya. But I want you to come hang out with us.'

"So…?"

"Be patient."

'On my way' was the reply Dallas received.

"He's coming," she finally told her friend.

"This is gonna be fun," the English woman replied.

"Oh is it?"

"It is. Don't be surprised if I happen to sneak away and give the two of you some time alone," she teased.

"Why are you trying so hard to get me to fuck Tom?"

"Honestly? Tom's a really great guy. And I need you to have a distraction from all of the bullshit going on with Kevin being a dick and Ambrose being…Ambrose."

"I'm fine with it all, you know? You really don't have to worry about me. I'm fine, and I'm going to be fine. I don't let the stupid shit get to me."

"I know I don't have to worry, but I do. You need something to go right for you once in a while," she told her.

Dallas smiled. "You're the best, Raya. But I'm really okay."

"I know, but would it be so bad for you to get laid, feel good, and just have a distraction from all of it."

"Of course not."

"Besides, look at the guy. He probably has a massive cock. That could make anyone forget their problems."

Dallas grinned. "That thing is probably so big that he could do brain surgery on me just by screwing me," she joked.

Saraya laughed. "I can't even begin to describe the picture that's in my head right now, but it is hilarious."

The bar's door opened. Both women turned to the door to see who was coming in. It was Tom. At was six-foot-eight and two hundred and seventy-five pounds, he was huge. And he had that bad boy vibe that turned Dallas on…big time. He sent a grin over to the women, before walking over and sitting down at the squared table between Dallas and Saraya.

"Hey," he spoke.

"Hey Tommy," the raven-haired Diva greeted her friend.

"Hi Tom," Dallas spoke with a smile.

When his eyes met hers, it was electric. The way he looked at her made her want to bang the shit out of him on top of the table. She took a drink of her beer, her eyes still on him.

"Why are you sitting so far away from me, Dallas?" he asked her, a flirtatious grin pulling at his lips.

"Yeah, Dal. You're so far away from him. You should move closer to him," Saraya teased her friend.

She gave the pair a look, before sliding her chair slightly closer to Tom's. He smiled at her and with very little effort, pulled her chair to sit right next to his. Tom draped an arm over the back of it. Dallas couldn't deny that she liked how he was practically already claiming her.

"Oh look at that. My phone is ringing. I'll be right back," Saraya obviously faked, before getting up and walking outside.

"I was surprised to hear from you," Tom spoke.

"Oh yeah? And why is that?"

"Because you're always too busy when I try to talk to you."

Dallas smirked and shrugged. "I'm just a very busy woman," she replied, taking a sip of her beer before refilling the glass again. She offered him a drink of her beer. He took the glass from her, took a sip, and handed it back to her.

"I don't know how you drink that," he teased her, bringing his hand on her shoulder.

"Don't be mean."

He chuckled. "I'm gonna get a drink. D'you want anything?"

"No thanks."

Tom gave her shoulder a squeeze, before standing up and heading to the bar. She continued drinking her beer. Her eyes falling on Jon, who was eyeing her again. She rolled her eyes and looked away.

A few moments later, Tom sat back down, bringing a pitcher and glass of his own, before replacing his arm around her.

"You look really nice," he breathed, before taking a long drink of his beer.

She smiled. "Thanks. You look pretty good yourself."

"So, what was it that made you invite me out here tonight?"

"Saraya mentioned it."

He eyed her suspiciously. "And why were you two talking about me in the first place?" he questioned.

She shrugged. "You just came up."

"I bet," he replied with a smirk. "Why is Good staring at you?"

Dallas rolled her eyes and shot a glare at the man sitting at a table across the bar. "He doesn't like me. And instead of letting him bully me around, like he's tried so hard to do, I keep pissing him off even more."

"You really are a troublemaker, aren't you?" he asked her.

She nodded. "Absolutely. I'm sure you've been warned about me."

The guilty grin on his face gave him away. "I may have been…"

"By plenty of people, I'm sure."

He laughed. "I'm sure you know that whenever your name comes up, someone has something to say."

"I know that." She paused. "And yet here you are…in a bar…with me. Do you just ignore all of what you hear? Or are you just a glutton for punishment?" she teased.

"A little bit of both. I mean, I don't think you can really be that bad."

"I'm sure that at least seventy-five percent of what you've heard about me is true. Probably more than that."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?"

"Well, as long as it doesn't come out of Kevin's mouth. But other than that….yeah…more than likely."

"I still don't think you're really that bad."

"I wish I could say I'm not, but I am."

"Hey Tommy Boy, if I were you, I'd be careful handing around with this one," Jon spoke, walking up to the table. "I hear she's diseased and sluts her way around locker rooms all over the place. Not exactly a classy broad."

"I'm not diseased. Never have been. And Moxley Boy here, wouldn't know where I've slutted around here because he's never once had the pleasure…and he never will either," she retorted, an amused smirk on her face.

"Trust me, I don't want the pleasure," he replied, realizing how stupid it sounded but going with it anyway.

"Oh no. How can I ever go on now? Mox doesn't want me," she replied, in a clearly unaffected voice.

"Okay. Come on, bad ass. Leave them alone," Joe said, pulling Jon away by the arm. "Sorry, baby girl. I'll have to shorten his leash."

Dallas gave him a smile. "It's okay. Sometimes it's hard to keep an eye on such an unruly, mangy, dirty mutt."

Joe smirked at her, as he pulled Jon back to their table.

Tom gave her a confused look. "What was that?"

She shrugged. "He's just being himself. That's all."

"Why is he so mad at you?"

She rolled her eyes. "I don't even know." She paused for a moment. "Well…that's not completely true. He's a big baby. Last night on Raw, Saraya and I took five extra minutes, and his match lost the five minutes. Ever since, he's been an obnoxious douchebag to me."

"That's a bit dramatic of him for five minutes."

"Well, he's a bit much, in general," she replied with a nod.

Saraya came back into the bar. "Did I miss anything?" she asked with a smirk.

"Only Mox being an asshole. Nothing new," Dallas told her.

The English Diva rolled her eyes. "Doesn't he have anything better to do with his time?" she rhetorically asked.

"I'm going with no."

"I can take care of him, if you need me to, Dal," Tom pointed out.

"Oh trust me, he's not worth the energy," she said, brushing the incident off. She sent a glare in Jon's direction.

* * *

"Man, what the fuck is your problem?" Joe questioned his friend, slightly annoyed that he constantly had to pull Jon away from Dallas.

"What do you mean?" he obliviously questioned.

The Samoan gave him a confused look. "With Dallas. It's not like she's even doing anything to you. You just keep starting shit with her for no reason at all."

"I have a reason. She's a bitch."

"First of all, that's what you always say. Secondly, she wasn't doing anything to you. She was sitting at her table, drinking her own beer, talking to Tom, not causing any problems. You're the one who decided to go over there and act like an ass."

Jon shrugged. "If Tom is gonna get involved with her, I just think that he should have all of the information," he defended himself.

"You've never cared about him before," Joe pointed out.

"Well, he's a young guy. He doesn't need to throw his life away over some whore who fucks everyone."

"He's older than us."

The lunatic raised an eyebrow. "Really? How the fuck do I not know anything?"

"Because you don't listen to anything anyone says."

"Well, then, bro code. Right? That's still a thing?"

"No. You're just being an asshole."

Jon shrugged. "I'm okay with that."

Joe rolled his eyes. "You're such a dick."

"I'm okay with that, too."

"Of course you are.


	7. Chapter 7

Rolling With the Punches

Chapter 7

Disclaimer: This is entirely fictional. I made it up. It isn't true. Kind of disappointing, but this is where the honesty happens, in the disclaimer.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello again friends! Still on vacation, but I'm leaving tomorrow morning. And while the boyfriend is hanging out with the boys, I'm sitting at the table typing as fast as my fingers will allow. A huge thank you to my guest, who I can only assume is miamitravel...my future co-cellmate/big sister. And also to one of my faves alibob687 (I got a little white girl wasted yesterday, but other than that the day drinking has been great lol I was also not into Baron for a while, and then, one day, it just kind of clicked, and I was obsessed lol I hope you enjoyed your day drinking!) Shit is about to go down, and I'm dying to hear what you guys think :) Love you all! XoXoXo**

* * *

Saraya, Dallas, and Tom were heading back to the hotel. Both women were quite tipsy, while Tom was barely even buzzed. Jon had been well controlled by Joe for the remainder of their night out. Saraya and Tom were flying back home to Florida the next morning, while Dallas was flying back to her home in Philadelphia.

"What room are you in?" Tom asked Dallas.

"Four-twenty-four," she replied. "How about you?"

"Four-eighteen."

"Ah well, I'm in three-twelve, so I guess I'll have to leave you crazy kids to it," the former champion feigned disappointment.

The three got into the elevator. Saraya pushed the buttons for both the third and fourth floors. She leaned her back against the side of the elevator car, while Dallas and Tom leaned against the wall opposite the doors.

"Alright, so I'll meet you in your room at…what? Seven?" Dallas asked Saraya. The two were heading to the airport together, though they were headed in two different directions, their flights left within about twenty minutes of each other.

"Sounds good to me." The doors opened for the third floor. "Goodnight you two crazy kids. Dal, I expect to hear details in the morning," she said with a wink, before getting off at her floor. The doors shut, leaving Tom and Dallas alone.

"What details?" Tom questioned concealing his smirk, looking at the much shorter woman next to him.

A smirk pulled at the corners of her lips. "Oh…um…that's her way of saying that she thinks we're gonna hook up."

He smirked. "Oh? And what do you think about that?"

She shrugged. "I mean…you wouldn't hear any complaints from me or anything, if it were to happen."

The elevator finally stopped at their floor. The doors opened, and she walked out with Tom following closely behind. She led him to her room and pressed her back against the door, once they got there.

"Would you like to come in?" Dallas asked, her eyes looking up at him, while he stood closely in front of her. She brought her hands onto his belt.

He nodded. "I'd love to."

Smirking, Dallas turned around and pulled her keycard out of her bag and unlocked the door. She opened it and walked in. Tom was hot on her heels and shut the door behind himself, while she turned the lights on.

Finally, Dallas turned around to face him. He brought his hands onto her shoulders, while hers rested on his hips. She gently pushed him back onto the couch into a seated position. With Dallas straddling his lap, Tom's hands came to rest on her rear end. Her hands found their way to the back of his neck.

"You know, I've been hoping that we'd end up in this position for a while now," Tom admitted. "I just thought you weren't interested."

"Oh trust me, I'm interested. Very interested," she assured him. "I do have to warn you, though, if you're a relationship kind of guy…I will disappoint you."

"You're in luck, then."

She smiled, before leaning in and bringing their lips together. The kiss quickly grew in intensity. Not one to waste time, Dallas brought her hands down to the hem of his shirt. Their lips parted only long enough for her to take it off. Tossing it aside, her hands came to rest on Tom's now bare shoulders. His hands travelled up her back, taking her top with him, as he pulled it over her head and dropped it to the floor. Tom's lips trailed their way down to Dallas's neck. She threw her head back and let out a moan, while his lips continued travelling down to her chest.

Her hands quickly found their way to Tom's belt. She quickly unbuckled it, before unbuttoning and unzipping his jeans. She stood up, pulling him with her, as she began pushing his jeans down. Tom lifted her up and pressed her back against the wall. She wrapped her legs around his waist. His lips were on hers almost immediately, her hands running through his hair.

"You're so fuckin' hot," she moaned against his mouth.

He chuckled against her lips. "You're the hot one. Are you kidding me?"

Tom brought her over to the bed, laying her down. His hands headed right for her shorts, quickly opening the buttons and pulling the zipper down, before he rid her of the garment. He crawled on top of her, leaning in and capturing her lips with his.

A loud knock sounded throughout the room. The pair pulled apart and looked at each other. "Expecting someone?" he asked her, raising an eyebrow.

"No." She shrugged. "Just ignore it," she brushed it off, pulling Tom back in to continue their kiss. The knocking didn't stop, though the pair opted to ignore it.

"Dallas, open this fucking door right now!" an all-too familiar, angry voice called.

She let out an irritated chuckle. "Uh…fuck. Give me a second. Okay?" she spoke. Tom looked confused as to why that particular voice would be on the other side of her door. She got up and pulled her shorts and top back on, while Tom grabbed his jeans and slid them back on, pulling his shirt back on, as well.

Dallas opened the door slightly, raising an eyebrow. "What the fuck do you want?" she demanded, glaring at her ex-boyfriend.

"Who the fuck is in there with you?" Kevin demanded. His face was red, and it was clear that he was furious with the situation at hand.

She had the door closed enough so Kevin wouldn't be able to see into the room. The way the room was situation prevented anyone from the door to see someone sitting on the couch, which is where Tom was. "None of your goddamn business."

"When you're on my turf, it is my business. I don't need you coming to my job and whoring yourself out to everyone here, too. You're making me look bad."

"First of all, this is my turf now, asshole. Secondly, what I do doesn't reflect on you anymore. If you're so concerned about your reputation, maybe you shouldn't come around me, acting like a scumbag."

Kevin looked about ready to blow a gasket. "Who are you fucking, Dallas?" he demanded through gritted teeth.

"Well, my clothes are still on, so clearly no one, you fucking idiot."

"Bullshit. I heard you were at the bar tonight."

"Keeping tabs on your ex-girlfriend, while you're married, Steen? That's pretty dick move. If anyone is doing something fucked up here, it'd be you. Now, I'm glad you came to visit and all, but please fuck off now," she sarcastically spat. She attempted to close the door, but Kevin stopped it with his arm.

Though he had been trying not to completely fly off of the handle, Dallas seemed to have a way of getting under his skin unlike anyone else. He forcefully pushed the door open, knocking Dallas back a couple of steps. He pushed passed her, only to find a fully dressed Tom sitting on the couch, seemingly unamused.

"Get the fuck out, Kevin!" she yelled at him.

He turned and glared at her. "I was right. Trying to make your way around this locker room, too, huh, Dal?" he growled, getting in her face.

"I could make my way around every locker room on the entire fucking planet, and it still wouldn't be any of your business, Steen," she shot.

He roughly grabbed her by her arm, and she instinctively slapped him across his face…hard. "You're nothing but a cheap fucking slut. I'm lucky I got rid of you when I did," he sneered.

"Dude, you need to let go of her now," Tom interjected, standing up from the couch. He wasn't trying to get involved in their issues, but he knew there was no excuse for Kevin putting his hands on Dallas.

"Dude, you need to mind your business," Kevin mocked him, sending a glare in his direction, before turning back to his ex-girlfriend.

"You're a disgusting, lying, cheating pig. I hope your kid finds out what a piece of shit you are. You're the last person that poor kid should ever want to be like," Dallas retorted, pulling her arm out of his grasp and rubbing what she knew would be bruised skin.

"Fuck you, Dallas," he spat. "Tom, I'd expect you to raise your standards. The last thing you need to be seen with is this cum dumpster." With that, Kevin stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind himself.

There was an awkward silence between Dallas and Tom, before he finally spoke up. "Are you okay?" he asked, dropping a hand to her shoulder.

Dallas nodded. "I'm so sorry about that," she apologized.

"No. You don't have to be sorry." He paused. "What was that about, though?" he questioned, not wanting to involve himself in her business. However, after what he had just witnessed, Tom was concerned.

The brunette rolled her eyes. "I don't even know what the hell his problem is. Kevin's pissed that I'm here, but…" She shrugged.

"Why?"

She shrugged. "I'm not really sure. I mean…" She let out a loud breath. "We dated for a few years. But that's way over. And it's not like I've even tried to get in contact with him or anything. I don't want to have anything to do with that dickhead."

"So why is he showing up at your hotel room in the middle of the night, acting like an asshole?" he asked.

"I have no idea. He already tried starting shit with me when he went to Stephanie and complained that I made him uncomfortable. But I've literally done nothing to him since I've been here. He's the asshole. He's the one who cheated on me and knocked up that bitch he's married to. I've avoided him since we broke up."

"Maybe he's still into you."

"I fuckin' hope not."

Tom smirked. "He's jealous."

"He's an asshole."

"But he's jealous. I know what a jealous guy looks like. And he's a jealous guy," Tom pointed out.

"He's just a dick."

Tom's face got serious. "Dal, I hope you didn't listen to anything he was saying. You're not a slut. You can do whatever you want to…or whoever you want to. He's just pissed off that he lost out on you."

"I can't fuckin' stand him," she breathed, clearly frustrated.

"I'm sorry."

Dallas looked up at him, a smile pulling at her mouth. "You're really sweet. You shouldn't hang around me. I'm…poison."

He gave her a confused look. "Why would you say that?"

"I'm just…a…headcase."

"No, you're not. You've just got a lot on your plate. You have an ex who can't handle the fact that you're moving on with your life. You have Good, who's just going out of his way to be a dick to you whenever he can. It isn't your fault." He paused. "Listen, we don't have to do anything tonight. I still want to be your friend. I haven't hung out with you that much, but I already know that you're an awesome chick," he told her. "And seriously, don't listen to what Kevin said. He's just being a dick because he's jealous."

She gave him a small smile. "Thanks, Tom."

He wrapped an arm around her, pulling Dallas in for a hug. She wrapped her arms around his torso. He bent down, kissing the top of her head.

* * *

"You seriously have to learn how to control yourself," Rami scolded Kevin. After he had stormed out of Dallas's room, he immediately headed over to see his best friend.

"I have to control myself?! What about her?! Dallas doesn't need to go around fucking everyone that works here!"

"I mean…that's not really your business anymore."

"How is it not? I work here."

"Is it your business who Saraya sleeps with?"

"What?"

"I asked if it's your business who Saraya sleeps with," Rami repeated himself, clearly irritated with his best friend.

"No. Why would I give a shit about what she does?"

"Why would you give a shit about what Dallas does?"

"She's my ex-girlfriend."

"Exactly. Dallas is your ex-girlfriend. You can't do that shit. You have no claim to her anymore," he pointed out.

"But…"

Rami raised his eyebrows. "Yes?" he questioned, curious as to what asinine response Kevin had for him.

"She's gonna make me look bad."

"The only person who's making you look bad is you, especially when you go barging into Dallas's hotel room, flipping a shit about her screwing around with Tom," he pointed out.

"Well, she shouldn't be whoring herself around NXT."

"That's not an opinion for you to have. It's none of your business anymore," Rami told him.

Kevin rolled his eyes. "I spent over five years with her. It is my business when she chooses to fuck everyone she can."

"You realize you're being ridiculous, right? You fucked up man. You should have never gone to her room…hell, you should have never said a word to her."

"Obviously I should have."

"Alright. Since you did nothing wrong, then, pick up the phone, call Gina right now, and tell her what you did. See if she thinks you did anything wrong."

"Uh no."

"Why not?"

Kevin remained silent, knowing that his best friend was right.

Rami smirked. "That's what I thought. You fucked up, Kev." He paused. "Why do you even care about what Dallas does?" he questioned.

The larger man sat down on the couch, resting his elbows on his legs, his head in his hands. "It's a lot easier for me to not give a fuck about her when she's nowhere near me, and I don't have to see her," he breathed.

A smirk crossed Rami's face. "That's what I thought."

"Why the fuck does she have to be here?" Kevin rhetorically asked, his voice giving away his defeat.

Rami sat next to his friend. "Because karma is kicking your ass right now. You miss her, don't you?"

"I dunno…"

"Listen, man, you have to deal with that. But you can't do what you did tonight…ever again. I mean…ever."

"I know. I just couldn't help it. When Good told me she was out at the bar, and then, when he told me that she was with Tom…I was just…fucking fuming."

"I mean…I know, and I understand…wait a second. Good told you that she was at the bar with Tom?" Rami questioned.

"Yeah. I ran to the store, and when I was coming back in, Good and Joe were coming in. Good mentioned about hearing that I dated her. He fist pounded me and said 'nice job getting a crack at that', and then, he said something like 'and now she's fucking Tom.' And whatever, and I just was so mad and went into my room, but I couldn't calm down. So, I just…flew over to hers."

"First of all, Good is a troublemaker. He's been giving Dallas shit because her match cut into his yesterday. So, take everything that comes out of his mouth at face value. That and five bucks will get you a beer."

"I know…"


	8. Chapter 8

Rolling With the Punches

Chapter 8

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. It, in no way, depicts any of the real life people, as I don't actually know them personally. This is all from my twisted mind.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello loves! I'm moments away from watching NXT Takeover: Respect. Oh and Table for 3 with Ambrose, Owens, and Cesaro? That shit was awesome. A huge thank you to alibob687 (This one's for you, darlin'!), miamitravel (Love you sis), and DenyingTheTruth (Oh just you wait. We haven't seen the last of him yet, I bet.) I hope you guys enjoy this! Please let me know what you think. This is where we get a little raunchy and smutty ;) I appreciate all of the follows, favorites, and reviews. You guys are awesome. Love you! XoXoXo**

* * *

"Fucking piece of shit," Dallas growled. She and Saraya were at the airport, hanging out before their flights.

"Man, that really sucks," the black-haired Diva agreed. Dallas had relayed to her the events of the previous night, in which Kevin interrupted her evening with Tom.

"And I mean…after that bullshit, it was kind of…I dunno. The mood was ruined. So all of that work, and I didn't even get laid."

"That's terrible."

Dallas frowned. "I just don't understand why. You know? He's the one who cheated on me. He's the one who left me. So, why in the hell is he losing his shit about anything that I do now?" she rhetorically questioned.

Saraya shook her head. "I do not have a clue, lady. That's a whole other level of fucked up. Now, he's being a twat swatter."

Dallas chuckled at her friend's comment. "Bastard."

"You rang?" a familiar rasp spoke from the brunette's left.

She rolled her eyes, while she turned her head and glared at Jon. "What the fuck do you want, Moxley?" she snapped.

"That's an awfully rude way to greet someone," he replied, sitting in the empty chair next to her.

"How fitting, considering how rude you are as a human being."

"I'm rude? You still call me Moxley. That's not even my name."

"You're right. Douchebag is so much more fitting."

"You are not a nice person," he spoke, shaking his head.

"Flight three twenty three to Orlando, Florida is now boarding," a feminine voice spoke over the loud speaker.

"Ugh," Dallas groaned, turning to Saraya. The two friends hugged.

"I'll see you on Sunday," she said, standing up and grabbing her bags.

"I'll miss you."

"Bye lover," Saraya spoke. "And Jon, don't piss my woman off," she warned with a glare. With that, the two-time Diva's Champion walked to her gate, leaving Jon and Dallas alone.

"Are you to munching on each other's rugs?" he bluntly asked.

"Has anyone ever told you how revolting you are?"

Jon smiled at her. "Why, yes, actually. I hear it a lot more often than you'd think," he replied, amused.

"I find that hard to believe. I think you should hear it more than you do now."

"Well, I'm here with you now, so you can get to it."

Dallas rolled her eyes and stared ahead, trying to ignore his presence. He draped an arm around the back of her seat. "What the hell are you doing? I don't want people to think that I associate with you or something."

"Ohhh…I see. So, I'm not good enough to be seen with you, but Tommy Boy is? Is that right? You know, you're awfully bitchy for someone who got laid last night."

"Mind your own fucking business," she snapped.

"Ouch. Someone's sensitive today. Maybe you didn't get laid after all."

"I really hate you."

"I heard Steen got a crack at you."

Dallas's head whipped around, fire in her eyes. "Shut the fuck up, you stupid son of a bitch," she snarled.

"Whoa…guess I hit a nerve there."

"I want you to fuck off, Mox. You are nothing but a pain in my ass. And I just want you to leave me the hell alone."

There was a brief silence. "So…where you flying to?" he asked. Dallas bit her lower lip, choosing not to respond to him…also trying to not punch him in the face and get arrested at the airport. He leaned over, halfway into her seat, looking at the boarding pass in her hands. "You're going to Philly? No fucking way! Me, too!"

"You live in Philly?" she questioned, in annoyed disbelief. As if her luck could get any worse than it had been in the last twelve hours.

"Well, no. I live in Vegas. But I'm going to visit a friend of mine."

"Well, fuck me sideways," she groaned with mock enthusiasm.

"You know Grant?" he questioned, ignoring her comment.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Havoc?"

"Yeah."

"He's not an asshole. Why the hell does he hang around with you?"

Jon shrugged. "I dunno. Probably our CZW days…"

"I'm gonna have to have a long talk with those guys."

"Well, you didn't fuck him, did you?"

Dallas rolled her eyes at him. "No. Of course not. He's been my friend for a very long time," she shot.

"Who did you fuck?" he curiously inquired.

"Not you."

"Obviously." He paused. "You fucked Steen."

"Shut the fuck up with that name," she demanded.

"Why? Did he break your heart?" he mocked her.

"You're really not gonna go away, are you?"

"Nope."

"You're a real pain in my ass."

"Thank you."

"Why are you trying to irritate me? I'm really not in the mood for your games today, Moxley," she warned him.

"Well, now I know that you didn't get laid. Why not? Did what I told Tommy Boy have anything to do with it?" he questioned her with a smirk.

"No, dick. It had nothing to do with you."

"Oh? Who did it have something to do with?"

"No one. Fuck off, Mox."

"That's still not my name, Dallas," he said, emphasizing her name.

"And I still don't give a fuck, Mox," she replied, mocking him. She got up and grabbed her bags, walking away from him, before she did something that would require bail money. Jon smirked to himself. He was trying to irritate her, simply for fun, and he knew that he was succeeding.

* * *

Dallas was in her seat. The flight was already in the air. She had the window seat. There was an older woman sitting next to her. She wasn't sure where Jon was sitting. All that she knew was that he wasn't near her. That was all she needed to know. Dallas wanted nothing more than to go home and lay in her bed. Maybe stop by a bar, after her dinner plans, get wasted…find some halfway decent guy to take home…hopefully get her mind off what had happened the night before. That had been an utter disappointment.

"Excuse me, ma'am. Hi. I'm so sorry to bother you. But you're sitting next to my girlfriend. And I was wondering if you'd mind trading seats with me, so I could sit next to her," the all-too familiar, all-too irritating sound of Jon's voice spoke.

Dallas turned around. "No. He's not my boyfriend," she quickly spoke.

"Babe, don't do this. I know you're mad at me. I'm sorry."

"Oh of course. I wouldn't want to get in the way of young love," the older woman sweetly spoke, a smile on her kind face.

"No, that's not at all necessary," Dallas insisted. But it was too late. Jon showed her to what was formerly his seat, and he quickly reappeared, taking the seat next to her. Dallas was pissed off. "I fucking hate you."

"Aw sweetheart. Don't be so mad at me."

"Why are you doing this?" she demanded.

He shrugged. "I dunno. It's a lot of fun pissing you off."

Dallas's cell phone alerted her of an incoming text message. She quickly fished it out of her beg that was at her feet. Turning the screen on, she read the message from Rami. 'Kevin shouldn't have done that last night. I'm sorry, Dal.' She put her phone on Airplane Mode and tossed it back into her bag.

"What'd your boy do?" Jon questioned.

"Fuck off."

"Is he the reason you're so angry?"

"Fuck you."

"Did he find out that you're banging Tommy Boy? Or…more like not banging Tommy Boy?" he questioned, grinning.

"Drop dead."

"You know…you're a real bitch. But I do have to say, I'm impressed with Steen. I don't know how he managed to fuck you, but…that's…fuckin' good for him."

"Are you trying to get into my pants or something?"

"Why? Would you let me in? I bet you would. Sluts love me."

She gave him a disgusted look. "Absolutely not."

"Sure." He rested a hand on her knee and slowly began running it up her bare thigh, as she had on a pair of cotton shorts. He fingers gently squeezed her skin. Dallas grabbed his hand and pulled it off of her, dropping it back in his own lap.

"You're a pig."

He gave her a proud smile. "Thank you."

"Why did you have to switch seats?"

"To hang out with you."

"Why? Because you knew that it'd piss me off?"

"Yup."

She rolled her eyes. "Dick."

"I try."

She stared out of the window, trying to ignore the man sitting next to her. But he was not going to let that happen.

"So, what are you gonna do in Philly?" he asked her.

"Live my life without you in it," she replied, not looking at him.

"Ouch. You're breaking my heart."

"I'd rather break your jaw," she muttered.

"Why are you so mean?"

"Because you're a fucking asshole," Dallas shot back. "Why do you have to sit next to me? Why are you talking to me? Why can't you just leave me alone?"

Jon gave her a cheerful smile. "There are just so many reasons."

"Listen, I get that you want to be an asshole. I get that you want to drive me crazy and make me lose my shit, but right now is really not the time. Okay? I had a night that ended really fucking badly. I didn't get much sleep. I get that you're a dick and want to piss me off because I pissed you off. But I'm just dealing with a lot of bullshit right now. I don't need to deal with you on top of every other fucked up thing going on in my life."

Jon raised an eyebrow. "What happened last night?"

She rolled her eyes. "None of your business."

"I'll just keep asking, so you might as well tell me."

"Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"Why can't you tell me what happened?" he countered.

"Because I don't like you. Why the fuck would I tell you my personal business?" Dallas shot back at him.

"The way I see it…you can either tell me or deal with me asking about it for the next six hours," he replied.

She groaned. "Fine. I brought Tom back to my hotel room, and before anything could really happen, Kevin showed up and needless to say, it was a shit show," she conceded.

"Why'd Kevin show up?" Jon questioned.

"I'm not a mind reader. I have no fucking clue."

"Are you still fucking him?"

"No!" she quickly replied, a disgusted look on her face. "He's fuckin' married."

"So? That's more his problem than yours."

"I mean, it's kind of my problem."

"How do you figure?"

"His wife is the woman that he cheated on me with…knocked her up. Then, he left me. Go figure," she said, resisting the urge to argue with him.

A chuckle escaped Jon's lips. "Wait a fucking second." She was glaring at him, unamused. "Kevin left you? No way! Are you serious?"

"Yes. I'm serious, you fucking asshole," she spat.

"Wow. Touchy," he replied.

"Can you quit harassing me, Moxley?"

"Why do you keep calling me, Moxley?"

"Because that's who I know you as."

"I haven't gone by that name in a number of years, toots."

"And I've never gone by 'toots'," she shot back.

"You know, if you weren't such a fucking bitch all of the time, I feel like we could be really good friends," he told her.

"Oh no. Being a bitch cost me the chance to be Moxley's friend? How will I ever go on with my life?" she sarcastically retorted.

"So, why'd Steen leave your ass? Did you stop putting out?"

"Fuck off," she breathed.

"Come on. Lighten up, Dallas."

"You're talking about my ex-boyfriend. Why are you trying to joke around about something I clearly do not want to talk about, much less make light of?"

"Alright. Fair enough. I got it." He thought for a moment. "Have you ever fucked on a plane before?"

"Uh what? Are you trying to fuck me?"

"I mean, we're gonna be here for a while. It's kind of boring. I was just offering. That's all," he defensively replied.

"Why?"

He shrugged. "It's a plane. Not exactly a fun place to hang out."

Dallas smirked. "Speak for yourself," she said, noticing the flight attendant making her rounds, getting drink orders.

"What are you—"

"Good morning! Can I get you something to drink?" the young brunette greeted the pair.

"Can I have a rum and coke please?" Dallas ordered, a flirty smile playing on her lips.

Jon watched the exchange between Dallas and the flight attendant. It was obvious that the woman sitting next to him was flirting. Was Dallas into chicks? Jon felt a stirring in his groin at the thought of Dallas with a woman. The flight attendant was giggling flirtatiously at whatever Dallas had said. Their exchange lasted a few moments, before the young woman walked away, a blush residing on her cheeks.

"Wait a second," Jon protested.

"What?" she asked, the playfulness no longer lacing her tone.

"I didn't order my drink."

The brunette rolled her eyes at him. "Did you hear anything I said to her? I ordered you a drink, princess. Calm your tits."

"Oh…thanks. I guess I was distracted watching you flirt with her."

A smug smirk played on her lips. "What can I say?"

"Do you eat pussy now?"

"You're such an asshole. You dumbass. I was flirting with the flight attendant for free drinks. And we got 'em. You are so oblivious."

Jon furrowed his brow. "Wait. Seriously?"

She raised her eyebrows and nodded slowly. "Yes."

"Now, I really like you. But now I'm curious…do you swing that way?" he asked her, a grin spreading across his face.

Dallas shrugged nonchalantly. "At times, it's possible."

His dick twitched in his constricting jeans. "Oh fuck," he moaned.

Knowing that she was the one with the power now, Dallas found that she was entertained. She leaned over towards him, resting her hand on his thigh. She brought her lips to his ear. "What's wrong? Are you okay, Mox?"

He turned his head to look at her. Their faces were barely two inches apart. He brought his hand over hers and guided it to the bulge that was begging to be released. "Fuck. I want you on my dick."

Dallas ran her tongue across her bottom lip. "I bet you do."

"I'm gonna fuck you so hard, Dallas, you won't remember your name."

A devious smirk crossed her face. "In your dreams, dickhead," she replied, before pulling her hand back and sitting back in her seat, facing forward.

"What the fuck was that, woman?" he incredulously questioned her.

"You're gonna learn a valuable lesson, Mox. Don't fuck with me because I fuck back…and I fuck harder," she replied.

Jon knew from her tone that every word that escaped her lips was carefully chosen. She was trying to drive him crazy. While he started out with the upper hand, she had quickly taken that from him and was the one in control.

* * *

The pair consumed a number of drinks on the plane. Dallas felt her inhibitions fly out the window. She desperately wanted to get off of the plane and away from Jon. She knew that as much as she enjoyed teasing him, she was teasing herself, as well. It had been a while for her to have not had her needs tended to, and it was driving her crazy.

Dallas was laying back in her seat, a blanket over her, as she was freezing. Jon's natural reaction was to turn both air conditioning vents on and aimed them right at her. The flirty flight attendant brought her the blanket.

"You know what, Dal? I like you. You're a real cunt, but I like you. You remind me of my favorite person in the whole world," Jon spoke. He was slightly buzzed.

"Who? You?"

"Exactly," he replied.

She let out a chuckle, as did Jon. "Why am I not surprised by that?"

"Because you already know me too well."

Dallas grinned. "I guess I do."

Jon dropped his hand onto her thigh, creeping his fingers underneath the blanket that rested over her lap. "You know, I really didn't like you when I met you. But now? I think you're cool as fuck," he told her.

"I think the alcohol is having an effect on you."

He smirked. "No…this is the alcohol having an effect on me," he told her, as he slipped a finger underneath the material of her shorts, gently rubbing her covered mound.

She sucked in a deep breath and shut her eyes. "Jon…"

He leaned in close to her ear, his lips practically grazing it. His breath against the side of her neck caused goosebumps to make their way across her skin. "You like that, don't you?" he cooed. She slowly nodded, biting her lower lip. "I thought you would," he growled. He applied a little bit more pressure, as he continued to rub her.

"Oh my God," she breathed. He snuck a finger into her underwear, finally having full contact with her core. He slowly slipped a lone finger inside of her. "Why are you doing this to me?" she questioned.

"Because you've had me hard as fuck for the last four hours," he replied. He began slowly pumping his finger inside of her.

She shut her eyes, her teeth biting her lower lip again. Jon's eyes watched her face. Dallas's reaction to his finger thrusting inside of her was causing his already straining erection to become harder than he thought it could be. He was so hard that it was actually starting to hurt. A mischievous smirk crossed his face, before he slid a second finger into her. Her muted moans were one of the sexiest things he had ever heard.

"Are you gonna cum for me?" he goaded her, as he slowed his movements.

Dallas nodded slowly. "Don't stop," she begged, keeping her volume down.

His grin widened, as he picked up the pace. "You have no idea how fucking hot you are right now," he breathed. Jon's thumb began stimulating her clit, causing her to white knuckle the armrest. He nipped at her earlobe. "Cum for me, Dal," he spoke, his lips on her ear. The feel of his breath on her ear, the vibration of his voice against her skin, pushed her to the edge. He felt her tighten around his fingers, as her climax hit her hard. She brought her hand over her mouth, as her entire body shook in orgasmic bliss.

Once her body had come down from the much needed release, Jon slowly pulled his fingers out of her. He brought them to his mouth before licking her juices off of them.

"You're delicious," he growled.

Her cheeks were flushed. Dallas's eyes fell to the bulge straining in his jeans, before she smiled wickedly. She glanced around, seeing that no one was paying any attention to what they were doing. Scooting over in her seat, Dallas managed to play if off as if she was innocently cuddling with Jon. She brought the blanket over his lap, as well. Her hands snuck underneath the blanket, as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

Dallas pulled his straining erection out of his pants, gently running her hand up and down the length of it. She brought her lips to his ear. "You're a big boy, aren't you?" she cooed.

Jon smirked proudly. "I can tear you apart."

"I'd love to watch you try," she challenged him.

He raised an eyebrow. Dallas brought her head down for a quick moment, sucking the head of his cock in her mouth. She swirled her tongue around the tip. A couple of moments later, Dallas lifted her head back up and went back to gently stroking him.

"Fuck," he breathed, as she began picking up the pace. "I want to fuck the shit out of you, Dal," he groaned into her ear.

"I can keep going. Or you can meet me in the bathroom," she offered.

"Get the fuck in there. I'll be there in two minutes."

Dallas smirked and let go of Jon's dick. She carefully got out of her seat, walking over Jon and into the aisle. She casually strolled into the restroom, shutting the door behind her. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror. While she wasn't exactly looking flawless, she didn't look completely terrible. She pressed her ass against the small counter, waiting for Jon.

She didn't have to wait too long, as he walked in just a couple of moments later, shutting and locking the door behind himself. He quickly stepped right up to her.

Jon brought his hands onto her ass, lifting her up slightly. He leaned in to kiss her, but she stopped him with a gentle hand on his chest. Her hands quickly extracted his dick. He impatiently pushed her shorts and underwear aside, sliding himself into her. He let out a moan. Dallas's hands held onto his shoulders, as he began slowly thrusting in and out of her.

"Oh my God. You're so fucking big," she groaned, as he picked up the pace of his thrusts.

"You're a lot tighter than I thought you'd be. Your pussy is squeezing the fuck out of my cock," he breathed.

She smirked. "Just fuck me, Mox."

Jon continued thrusting into Dallas. She laid back, her head against the mirror. Using one hand, Jon began pushing her top up, lifting it over her breasts, his eyes gluing themselves to her abundant cleavage. He pushed her bra up, freeing her breasts. "Fuckin so hot," he mewled. He pressed his lips together, as he began quickly approaching his release. Jon brought his thumb onto her clit, once again trying to bring her to climax. While Jon wasn't seemingly concerned with how Dallas felt, he was concerned about his performance. And he knew if he treated her right, at least while they were having sex, he could have a guaranteed lay on the road. It would certainly make it easier, if he didn't have to put the effort into wooing someone into his hotel room.

Seeing as Dallas was still pretty sensitive from the orgasm Jon gave her in her seat, she began feeling the familiar approach of her release.

"Come on, Dal," he encouraged her. His eyes were locked on hers. "Cum for me," he spoke. His voice was firm.

Dallas felt the overwhelming sense of pleasure that only an orgasm could give her. "Mox…" she moaned.

"That's right, baby," he spoke, his half shut eyes giving away just how close he was to his own release. "Fuck, Dal. You are so fuckin' hot." And with that, Jon came, releasing inside of her. His eyes were squeezed tightly shut. It felt so good that it hurt. And while Jon had been with more than his fair share of women, he never remembered cumming so hard…or so much in his entire life. He sure as hell couldn't remember anything ever feeling so good.

After a couple of moments of silent stillness, Dallas sat up. "Not bad, Mox," she spoke, as he slowly pulled out of her. She readjusted her underwear and shorts, before opening the bathroom door. Dallas headed back to her seat. As she made her way down the aisle, a hand shot out and gently wrapped around her wrist. She stopped and looked at the owner of the hand, ready to punch whoever it was. But it was the older woman who had originally been sitting next to her.

"I take it you two made up," she said with a knowing smile.

"Oh uh…yeah," she replied, a blush creeping on her cheeks.

"Good. It's nice to see two young people with so much passion."

"Thanks." The woman gently patted her hand, before Dallas continued back to her seat. She sat down, acting casual. A few moments later, Jon sat back down in the seat next to her, a shit-eating grin on his face.

"Way to make it obvious," she muttered.

"Oh like anyone who paid any attention to us had no idea we just fucked," he shot back.

Dallas rolled her eyes. "You're such an idiot."

"You're a good fuck. I get why everyone fucked you."

"Everyone didn't fuck me, Mox. I wasn't being gangbanged in every locker room. I fucked a couple of guys. That's all."

"That's an idea. Do you have any objection to being gangbanged?" he questioned.

"No one is gangbanging me," she refused.

"Fuck, man. Do you have an idea how hot that'd be? Just to watch you get the shit fucked out of you?"

"I'm not some porn star. I'm a professional wrestler."

"You should've been a porn star."

"Gee thanks."

"What? It's a compliment. You're a good fuck."

Dallas gave him a smile. "Well, thank you. You're pretty good yourself."

"Thanks." He thought for a moment. "Can we fuck again?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because you're really good. You made my cock feel so amazing. Ugh. So fucking good," he breathed, reminiscing about their mile high club romp from mere minutes before.

"Don't you go getting all attached to me, Mox. I don't play that game."

"You think I'm attached?"

"No, dumbass. I'm just telling you not to get attached."

"Trust me, I'm never gonna get attached to you. Your pussy…well…that I might get attached to…well…my dick might."

"Such a charmer."

"What are you doing tonight?" he asked her.

"Why?"

"Because maybe I'd like to fuck you again."

Dallas rolled her eyes. "Don't hold your breath."

"Oh? You didn't enjoy yourself?"

"No, I did. But I don't want us getting into any weird shit."

"What do you mean?"

"If we start sleeping together, things can get a little…I dunno. We risk complicated shit," she replied.

"Fine. If you don't want me to fuck you again, then, I'll go find someone else."

"Good."

"Yeah. Good," he grumbled.


	9. Chapter 9

Rolling With the Punches

Chapter 9

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Not only did it not happen, but the characters in this story may not be portrayed as they are in real life. Hence the whole fiction thing.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello darlings! A nice big thank you to DenyingTheTruth (You know me, I enjoy the surprise factor :) I like to keep it interesting.), nafiondf aof, and alibob687 (Those two are gonna get themselves into some serious trouble lol). I hope everyone is enjoying this. I see I have new readers favoriting and following almost every day, which is awesome. I appreciate every single one of you. Seriously. I also appreciate reviews, so please, let me know what you think :) Love you guys! XoXoXo**

* * *

The rest of the plane ride was fairly silent, and Dallas was completely fine with that. She didn't need Jon trying to get in her pants again. It wasn't because she didn't enjoy herself. She did. A lot, actually. More than she had expected to. But the absolute last thing that she needed was to get involved in some convoluted fuck buddy scenario or some type of arrangement that ran the risk of feelings being formed. The last time Dallas tried that, she had to give up both the sex and the friendship. He claimed he had fallen for her. She was not having that in any way, shape, or form. Dallas wanted nothing to do with any kind of love or relationship or anything that was any more than just plain old fucking.

After her relationship with Kevin imploded, Dallas was hell-bent on not having any feelings or relationships. The last thing that she wanted to do was allow herself to get hurt. Kevin completely broke her heart. After their relationship ended, she was devastated. She couldn't handle ever feeling that pain again. And she would never allow it.

She had a very strict 'no strings attached' policy. Dallas considered it non-negotiable. She had tried to create a situation that would prevent her from having to deal with the hurt that her relationship with Kevin had caused her. If that meant that she would be spending the rest of her life alone, then, she was okay with that. Besides, she had friends and a career. She could accept that as all there would be to life.

When Jon and Dallas got off of the plane, he quickly found Grant. Dallas had walked over to him, as well.

"Dal! I wasn't expecting to see your pretty face, too!" he spoke, pulling her in for a hug.

The brunette wrapped her arms around her longtime friend. "Hey G-Man."

"You look amazing," he said, pulling back and taking a good look at her.

"Thanks."

"What are you doing with this dickhead?" he asked, using his thumb to point to Jon.

"Oh trust me, I'm not with him. He just liked to drive me crazy, so he switched his seat to be able to sit next to me and annoy me for six hours," she explained.

"That's not what you were saying in the bathroom," Jon muttered.

"And I let him fuck me in the bathroom," Dallas added, giving him a look.

"Ah! There's the Dallas I know so well!" Jon suddenly spoke with a cheerful, shit-eating grin on his face.

Dallas rolled her eyes. "Alright, well, you two enjoy yourselves. Grant, it's nice to see you. I'm gonna get my luggage and call a cab."

"Why would you call a cab, when I can drive you?" he spoke up.

She made a face. "Nah…that's okay…"

"Come on, Dal," Grant breathed. "Don't argue with me. Just come on. I'll drop you off at your house. It isn't out of the way. You know that."

"Fine," she relented, too tired to argue.

"Let's go get your bags." The three headed towards the luggage carousel. "So, what's been going on?" Grant asked his longtime friends.

"Not much," Dallas simply replied.

"I don't think that's true," Jon argued. "Your life has been pretty interesting lately, to say the least."

The brunette rolled her eyes. "Shut the fuck up, Mox," she spat.

"What's going on, Dal?" Grant questioned. "Have you run into Steen?"

"Has she?!" he animatedly replied. Jon continued pissing her off.

"Of course, I have," she replied, shooting a glare in Jon's direction. "He's tried to get me into shit with Stephanie. I had a guy in my hotel room last night, and he came to my room and completely lost his shit on me." She pulled up the sleeve to her t-shirt, showing off the bruise she was sporting, courtesy of her ex-boyfriend. "And Mox here has been a total dick whenever the opportunity presents itself. So, yeah. It's been eventful."

"He put his hands on you?" Jon questioned incredulously. "You didn't mention that to me." Suddenly, he felt guilty for being the cause of that. Not that he would tell her that he was responsible for him going to her hotel room…especially now.

She shrugged.

"Dal, what the fuck?" Grant took her arm in his hands, examining the purple bruise.

"He was just mad and yelling, and he grabbed me by my arm and was squeezing it. He's just an asshole. Tom stepped in and said something. But I got him off of me. It wasn't a big deal. Just a testament to what a piece of shit that fuckhead is."

"What is his problem?"

"I don't know. I can't fucking stand him. I don't understand what his issue is," she breathed, frustration lacing her words.

"Is he still in love with you?" Grant asked.

"No. He doesn't love me. Never did."

"Well, you know that's not true."

"Oh?"

"You two were the most in love couple I'd ever seen. And before he fucked around on you, Steen was fucking crazy about you."

"Can we not talk about this please?"

"Yeah. Sorry."

"But I wanna hear about it," Jon spoke up. "This shit is really interesting. I still can't believe Steen managed to bag you."

"Shut the fuck up with that shit. I don't want to hear that name. I don't want to hear anything about him. I don't want to talk about him. None of it."

* * *

Grant pulled up in front of Dallas's house. She was happy to finally be home. She wanted to relax and unwind after the events of the last couple of days. Not to mention, she wanted to get away from Jon. She felt like she had more than her fair share of dealings with him lately…aside from having been fucked by him on the plane. That was one interaction she quite enjoyed.

"Here ya go!" Grant spoke.

From the backseat, Dallas leaned over the center console and hugged her friend. "Thank you," she said, her tone sincere.

"Of course. And don't be a stranger, Dal. You've got my number."

She smiled. "I'll talk to you soon, G-Man." Dallas turned her head and looked at Jon. "Thanks for the dick. I needed that," she said. She patted him on the head, as one would do to a pet.

"Trust me, you're more than welcome to hop back on it," he said, giving her a wink.

With that, Dallas got out of the car, pulling her bags with her. She made her way to the front door.

"How the fuck can she afford that house?" Jon breathed, eyeing the massive structure before them.

"Dallas might seem like she doesn't have her shit together, but she's really smart. And her grandparents left her a nice chunk of change," Grant explained. "Go easy on her. She hasn't had it easy. I mean, we all have our issues, but Dal…she's had a pretty rough life."

"Are you telling me not to fuck her?"

"No, I'm just saying don't be an asshole to her."

"I wasn't. I fucked her. In fact, I fucked her really good. So, I'm better for her than probably anyone."

Grant gave him a look. "Don't fuck around with her."

"I'm not fucking around with her. Just fucking her."

"Well, don't let me hear about you fucking her over or hurting her or anything. Because you're my friend, but I will fuck you up."

Jon put his hands up defensively. "Man, no worries here. It ain't like that with her."

Grant shot him a suspicious look, before finally seeing that Dallas had made it inside of her house. With that, he pulled out of her driveway and headed to his apartment.

"So…if Dallas is so smart, why is she wrestling? I mean, it's not exactly a genius's career choice," Jon questioned.

"She's always loved wrestling. She just handles her money better than most people. She put herself through college using the money she made wrestling. She has a degree in business. She's definitely one of the smarter ones in the business. You wouldn't know it because she doesn't like to let on that there's more to her than being some explosive, bad-ass bitch."

"Oh…"

"She's a good girl. She's just…she's had it rough."

"Care to explain?"

"With her...it's hard to find a place to start. She's had family problems since she was born. She's had some things happen to her that were…pretty shitty. The bullshit Kevin put her through was…fucked up. And it's not like she's a bad person. She didn't deserve anything she went through. I don't want to see her go through anymore bullshit."

"I'm curious."

"It's her story to tell. Not mine."

"She isn't gonna tell me shit."

"All I can tell you is that she's had a fucked up life. She needs a break from the bullshit," he told him.

"How bad can it be, though? She lives in a huge house that's fuckin' gorgeous. She's hot. I mean, it can't be that bad."

"You'd be surprised. You never met her parents."

"Are they that bad? I mean, I know shitty parents. Been there, done that."

"She may rival you in that area. Trust me, the shit she went through." He shook her head. "It was bad."

"How do you know all of this shit?"

"We used to be really close. She told me a lot of shit that went on."

"Most sluts have daddy issues."

"Don't fuckin' say that about her," Grant snapped.

"Dude, chill."

"I'm serious. Don't talk that kind of shit about her."

"Fine. Sorry, man."

* * *

Dallas was in her kitchen, going through her refrigerator and cupboards, trying to figure out what to make for dinner. She had a guest coming over and wanted to cook something impressive. He was important to her. She didn't want to fuck the meal up.

She knew that she would have to go food shopping. While she would only be home for a couple of days, Dallas enjoyed cooking. It wasn't something she was able to do very often, considering how much time she spent on the road.

It had already been a long day. And she fucked Jon. That was, by far, the biggest surprise of all, to her. She couldn't believe she'd actually gone and fucked him on the plane ride. But Dallas had to admit…it was much needed. She had kept her legs shut for longer than she cared to disclose. He scratched an itch that she desperately needed to be tended to. Her only hope was that he didn't consider the possibility that it made her not dislike him.

Quite frankly, Dallas still found Jon to be an absolute pain in her ass, but he had served her a very important purpose. While she was appreciative of that, she hoped that they would leave it at that and go their separate ways. The last thing Dallas wanted was any further involvement with Jonathan Good.

* * *

"So, what're we doing tonight?" Jon asked Grant, as they sat on the couch, not paying attention to the television that was on in front of them.

"I dunno."

"We should go see what Dallas is doing."

Grant raised an eyebrow. "You got a boner for her?"

"Nah…she already took care of that. But she can't stand being anywhere near me. And I love pissing her off."

"I bet."

"What? And she's a hot fuck."

"Stay away, Good. She's not a rat."

"Yeah. The rats would only wish they could've fucked as much as she has," Jon replied, smirking.

"She hasn't fucked that many guys. You're exaggerating."

"Like you'd know?"

"Uh yeah, dick. I was there when she had her…I guess, breakdown, or whatever you wanna call it, and started sleeping around. She makes it sound like she was a huge whore. It really wasn't that bad."

"She doesn't even like me…and she fucked me on a plane," Jon pointed out.

"She probably hasn't gotten laid in a long time. I wouldn't exactly call that a relapse or anything."

Jon shrugged. "Let's just stop over and see what she's doing."

"Alright," Grant relented, suspicious of his friend's intentions.

The two men got up from the couch and headed out of the apartment.

* * *

Dallas was nearly done with dinner. Her guest was on the couch, the television was on.

She had changed into a pair of white skinny jeans, a black long-sleeved crop top. She had on a pair of five-inch black leather platform pumps. Her hair was down and straight, the ends curled, where her hair changed color. The dinner she'd been working on was almost ready.

The knock on her front door caused her to furrow her brow in confusion. The man on the couch raised an eyebrow. "Expecting more guests, Dal?" he questioned.

"No…"

She walked to the front door and opened it. She was surprised to see Jon and Grant standing there. "Uh hi?"

"Hey. What are you doing?" Jon greeted.

"Making dinner…"

"Sweet. Have room for two more?" he asked.

"Uh…I guess." She paused. "Why are you here?"

"We were bored."

"Yeah. And it was Jon's idea to stop by."

"Why?" she asked.

"Because I figured you could cook for us," he replied with a smirk.

"Asshole. Whatever."

She walked away from the door and headed back to the kitchen. She pulled the tray of baked ziti out of the oven, placing it on the hot plates that she had put on the table, which had been set for two. She quickly followed the tray of baked ziti with a tray of chicken cutlet parmigiana. She set two more places at the table for the two unexpected guests. She was relieved that she had made so much extra food.

"Zach!" Grant yelled, walking over to the man sitting on the couch.

"Hey Grant. I didn't know you'd be coming over."

"Neither did I," Dallas mumbled, as she put out the Pecorino Romano cheese and extra bowl of tomato sauce.

Jon raised an eyebrow. He was surprised. He never expected Dallas to be entertaining another guy. He sized him up. About six-foot-two, maybe one-hundred and eighty pounds. He had dark brown hair that was styled similar to Matt Polinsky's, otherwise known as Corey Graves. He was a good looking guy. He seemed well put together. He wore a pair of jeans that looked pretty expensive, paired with a light blue button-down shirt. He wore a pair of black thick-rimmed glasses over his eyes. "Hey…Jon," he introduced himself.

"Hi Jon. Zach."

"Alright. Let's eat," Dallas said, putting the oven mitts on the counter and bringing a pitcher of water to the table. "Anyone want a beer?" she asked.

"Sure," Jon replied.

She pulled out two Sam Adams bottles out of the refrigerator. She handed one to Jon and sat across from him, next to Zach. Dallas began serving the men their food, piling their plates with generous helpings of both entrees.

Once everyone was served, they all began eating.

"So, I caught your match on Raw," Zach spoke.

"And…?" she asked, a hopeful tone in her voice.

"You were great."

"Thanks."

"It better have been a great match. You cut into my time," Jon growled, glaring at the brunette. She wasn't quite sure where the hostility was coming from. He'd been playful up until he sat down at the table.

Dallas rolled her eyes. "Still butthurt over that?" she quipped.

"Bitch."

"You're in my house, dickhead."

He grunted and continued eating.

"Happy to be with Raya again?"

"Absolutely. It's like having air back in my lungs," Dallas exaggerated with a cheesy smile.

"I feel bad for everyone that has to deal with the two of you. Always finding some way to get into trouble," Zach commented with a chuckle.

"We're not that bad."

Jon rolled his eyes. "Sure," he murmured.

"Jon…you're really cool, too. I like your style in the ring."

"Thanks," he unenthusiastically shot back, receiving an elbow from Grant.

"Anyway, are you gonna come to a show soon?" Dallas questioned the man sitting next to her, shooting a glare at Jon. "I'll pay for everything. I just really want you to see me in the ring again. And I'm sure everyone would be happy to see you, too."

"Maybe. I hope so. I have to see how my schedule looks. I've been flying around for…realistically about three weeks. But it feels like forever," he explained. "But I'd really like to come out and see you, Dal. I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too, Zach," she said, giving him an affectionate smile.

Jon looked aggravated and said something under his breath.

"What was that, Mox?" Dallas questioned.

"Nothing," he shot, glaring at her.

She rolled her eyes at him and turned her attention back to Zach. "Anyway, how has work been treating you?"

"I've been so busy lately. I haven't had time to have a social life, which sucks. But I've been occupied and getting shit done. So, it's not terrible. I like it."

"Well, I'm glad you're here."

"I fucking bet you are," Jon muttered.

"What the fuck is your problem, Mox? You've been a dick since you walked in here. If I remember correctly, you're the stray dog that showed up at my house," she shot, clearly annoyed with him. She didn't expect him to be nice or anything, but she didn't need his attitude, when he was the one who invited himself over for dinner.

Jon had a bitter smile on his lips. "Hey Zach, I fucked your girlfriend today. On the plane here, in fact."

Grant nearly choked on his food, shocked at the words that had just come out of his friend's mouth.

Zach raised an eyebrow. "I doubt that very much," he replied.

Dallas had her elbows on the table and put her face in her hands. "You fucking moron," she muttered.

"I'm a fucking moron. You're a slut." He turned his attention back to Zach. "I fucked her in the airplane bathroom this morning."

"That's gross," he breathed, grimacing.

Grant was laughing hysterically. "You fucking asshole," he gasped, as his hysterics continued. He slapped his hand on the table.

Jon looked confused. "What's so funny?"

"Mox, you're so fucking stupid. What are you? Jealous of Zach?" she asked, an amused smirk adorning her lips. She tried to hold back the laugh threatening to erupt from her lungs.

"I'm not jealous. You're a fucking slut, Dallas. Banging me, when you've already got a guy here?"

"Yeah. Listen Mister Jumping to Conclusions, you need to take a chill pill. Zach isn't my boyfriend."

"Is he a paying customer?"

"No, dipshit. Zach, meet Jon, my co-worker. Jon, this is Zach. My brother."

Jon froze. Now he knew he looked like a complete asshole. "Oh…uh…"

"And I'm gay…" Zach told him.

Jon looked completely mortified. He got up from the table and stormed off. The three people remaining at the table broke out into a fit of laughter. "He thought…" Grant gasped, as he pointed between Zach and Dallas. "Fuckin' great, man."

"Let me go talk to him," Dallas said, trying to calm her chuckles down. She got up and headed in the direction that Jon had stalked off in.

Dallas found him outside, walking down her driveway. She called after him. "Jon!"

He ignored her. She rolled her eyes and continued chasing after him, though she couldn't run too quickly in her heels. She caught up to him and grabbed him by the arm. "Jon!"

He turned around. "What?"

"What is your problem? Are you suddenly super sensitive or something?" she questioned, smirking. He gave her a look. "Come back inside and relax. What is it? Were you jealous of Zach or something?"

"No," he quickly replied.

She smirked. "Didn't like the thought that someone else was fucking me a couple hours after you did?" she asked him.

"Seriously? Are you really playing this up right now?"

"Of course I am. Famed womanizer, Jon Moxley, got all pissy because he saw a guy in my house, accused me of dating him, told the guy that he fucked me on a plane, and then found out that he's my gay brother. I mean…it's kind of funny."

He gave her an unamused look. "Really? You're finding this entertaining?"

"Who wouldn't? Besides, that's what happened. You got jealous. It's sweet, really. Now, come on, let's go back inside and finish eating. And this time please don't tell my brother about anything else we did. I mean, we're pretty close but he doesn't need a visual of his sister being fingerbanged in her seat," she teased him with a chuckle.

"Fine. I'll keep that to myself," he muttered, before acquiescing, as the two started back towards her house.

"Thank you."


	10. Chapter 10

Rolling With the Punches

Chapter 10

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. It doesn't reflect on the real lives of the people portrayed. And the OCs are all mine.

* * *

 **A/N: Happy Sunday, my loves! Sorry that it's been a week. Usually I don't have such busy weeks at work. In fact, usually I sit at my abnormally massive desk and stare at the wall for 9 hours. But I was busy this week...and looking at my schedule for next week, it'll probably be even worse. That means when I come home, I end up falling asleep before 9, not getting half of the things done that I intend to. Adulting is hard. So, I've even typed the next chapter of this one up, and I'll probably type up Chapter 12 already. I swear, it'd be so much easier if I could handwrite everything, and it would just appear on my computer because I'm already handwriting Chapter 23 out. First world problems, I tell ya. Anyways, I love you all very much. I'm gonna work on updating Falling Down today, as well, so for those of you reading that one, there may be an update tonight, if all goes as planned. So, please enjoy. I appreciate all of the new readers. You guys are the greatest. Please leave a review, tell me how you're feeling about this chaos/smut/whatever you wanna call it. Love you! XoXoXo**

* * *

The clock read ten fourteen. Zach had already left, as he had an early morning flight to catch and wanted to get some sleep, before embarking on his travels. Grant and Jon remained at Dallas's house. They were all on the couches in her living room. Dallas had her legs up and across Grant's lap, while Jon was sitting on the loveseat, facing them.

"Why don't we just go to a bar and get shitwrecked?" she suggested.

"Every idea that you've had includes us drinking a lot," Grant pointed out.

"I've had a long week."

"It's Wednesday. Sounds more like you have a problem," Jon told her.

"Well, the fact that I've had a long week, and we're only halfway through means that the drinks are well-deserved. And the only problem I have is that you're a dick, Kevin's a dick, and I'm already in trouble with the boss lady."

"Alright. Let's get wasted," Grant finally relented, not wanting to listen to the pair bicker. Quite frankly, he was still amused by Jon's behavior at dinner.

"Sweet!"

Dallas jumped off of the couch. "It's still kind of hot out. So, I'm gonna go change real quick," she told them.

"Okay," Grant breathed.

"Be right back," she said kicking her heels off and running up the stairs. She quickly headed into the bedroom, changing into a pair of Joe's Genna rolled denim shorts. Dallas glanced in the floor length mirror and was surprised to see Jon's reflection in it. She gasped and turned around to look at him. "Mox…what are you doing in here?" she questioned.

"Grant's gonna head to the bar. I told him we'll meet him."

"Oh…and why is that?" she suspiciously inquired.

"Because we still have some…unfinished business to take care of." He stood in front of her, towering over her much smaller frame.

"Oh?"

He nodded slowly and reached for the hem of her top. He quickly lifted it off of her, tossing it aside carelessly. His hands expertly managed to remove her body from the confines of her shorts. She kicked them from around her ankles. Smirking, Dallas brought her smaller hands onto the hem of Jon's shirt. She pulled it up but was too short to get it over his head, even on her tiptoes. He finished the task, pulling his shirt off and dropping it to the floor. Dallas slowly raked her fingertips over his torso. His eyes shut, reveling in the feeling of having her hands on his body.

Dallas brought her hands onto his belt, fumbling slightly, though getting it opened, followed by his jeans. He kicked them off. She gently pushed him to sit on the edge of the king-sized bed. She pushed his torso back. "Lay down," she instructed.

Jon moved back on the large bed, laying down, with his head on the plethora of pillows at the head of the bed. Dallas smirked as she joined him, hovering over his body. She straddled his lap, rubbing herself against the erection that created a lewd lump in his boxer briefs. His lustful eyes rolled back in his head, as he brought a hand onto her hip.

Moving down his body, Dallas bit her lower lip. She brought her fingers onto the waistband of the one garment her had left on his body. She slowly began pulling them over his hips, his straining erection popping out. She pulled his underwear down his legs, before dropping them to the floor with the rest of their clothes.

Dallas focused on her current location, in between his legs and her bed. She grabbed his dick, and a moan escaped his lips. She began stroking him. "Is this what you planned on when you convinced Grant to come over tonight?" she asked.

"Yup," he replied.

"How about this?" she asked, before running her tongue up his shaft.

"Fuck yes," he breathed.

She chuckled before taking his length into her mouth and slowly bobbing her head on the large dick, with her hand grasping the base of it. Jon tangled a hand in her hair, enjoying the way she was making him feel.

"You are so fuckin' good at this," he told her with hooded eyes.

She looked up at him, the pair locking eyes, while she used her mouth to pleasure him. For a moment, Jon considered allowing her to do this until he came, but he thought better of it, knowing that he wanted to get back inside of her and soon.

Jon sat up, gently pulling her off of him. He switched places with her, bringing her back onto the bed, as he hovered over her much smaller body. He reached behind her back, expertly unhooking her bra and pulling it off.

"You've got great fuckin' tits," he growled, before bringing his mouth to her chest, using his teeth and tongue to stimulate her nipples. His hands found their way to the waistband of her lacy underwear. His fingers hooked into the sides and began pulling them down, over her hips, while he trailed his tongue down her body. He pulled the garment completely off, tossing it aside, not really caring where it ended up. Jon's head was almost immediately between her legs. He slowly slid a finger inside of her.

Dallas moaned and arched her back. "You're ready to go, huh?" he asked, a smirk residing on his lips.

She grinned back at him. "Very ready."

He leaned in and brought his mouth onto her core. Jon pulled her legs over his shoulders, as he continued using his mouth and fingers to bring her closer to her release. "You really are delicious," he spoke, his lips tickling her mound.

"Fuck, Mox."

He sent a glare in her direction but quickly continued to focus on what he had been doing. He slid a second finger inside of her. She gasped loudly. He began thrusting them in and out of her for a couple of moments, enjoying the expression on her face, before pulling his fingers out of her, bringing them to his mouth and sucking on them. He winked at her, before shoving his tongue into her honeyed depths.

"Shit," she gasped. Her hands found their way onto Jon's head. He was good at this…better than good. She'd initially thought he'd never serve her a purpose, but with his tongue inside of her, she changed her mind.

Dallas grabbed two handfuls of his hair and pulled his head up. "I need…." His eyes met hers. "Fuck me, Mox," she demanded.

"The lady gets what the lady wants."

Jon fisted his rock hard dick, before lining himself up with her sex. With one hand on her hip, Jon used the other to guide himself into Dallas. He rubbed himself against her dripping opening for a moment, before roughly plunging inside of her.

Dallas arched her back up off of the bed, as she let out a guttural moan. Jon began thrusting in and out of her quickly and roughly. He held both of her hips in his hand for leverage.

"Fuck. You feel so fuckin' good, Dal," he groaned. He pulled out of her and easily flipped her over onto all fours. Jon quickly slid back inside of her. His hands returned to her hips, as he began his thrusts again. "You're so fuckin' hot," he growled. "And this ass is so fuckin' perfect." He slapped her ass.

"Harder," she moaned, looking at Jon over her shoulder.

A wicked grin crossed his lips, before he acquiesced to her request and slapped her ass again, only harder this time, leaving a bright red handprint on her skin. He leaned forward, his chest pressed against her back. "You are a little slut, aren't you?" he spoke through gritted teeth.

"For that dick, I will be," she shot back.

He smirked, grabbing a handful of her hair in his hand, pulling her head back slightly. He wasn't trying to seriously hurt her or anything, but he loved being a little rough with the woman he was fucking. He let his teeth graze her ear. "You're such a good fuck," he spoke, his voice low and breathless.

"Your cock feels so fuckin' good, Mox," she moaned.

Jon pulled out of her and flipped her onto her back again, sliding into her, as he sat back on his heels. The pair continued to go at it, while Dallas brought her hand onto her core and began stimulating herself, wanting to be able to release that pent up tension.

"Fuck this is so fuckin' hot," he breathed. His fingers roughly pressed into the skin of her hips, while he continued pounding away. His thrusts became slower and deeper, as he neared his release. While Jon wouldn't admit it to Dallas…or anyone else…he had never found himself so close to his release so quickly. There was something about her that turned him on more than the randoms he would usually fuck.

Dallas was close to reaching her own release, as well. Between her fingers and the massive dick inside of her, she knew that she was only moments away from achieving what she so desperately needed.

Jon's eyes were molten pools that had been glazed over with lust. "Fuck," he muttered. His eyes locked on hers. "Are you gonna cum for me?" he questioned.

"So close…" she replied with a nod.

"Cum for me, Dal," he demanded. His eyes on hers did something to Dallas, and she felt her orgasm hit her like a ton of bricks. Her entire body trembled underneath his. Her walls tightened around his throbbing dick. He let out a string of obscenities, as he released inside of her. Jon's body hovered over hers, struggling to stay up and not completely crush her underneath his much larger frame.

The pair remained silent for a few moments, trying to catch their breath.

After a few minutes had passed, Jon rolled off of her body, laying next to her on the bed. Dallas turned onto her side. "Thank you," she said, before getting up and beginning to redress herself. After all, Grant was waiting for them.

Jon sat up and watched her. "Running off already?"

"Grant's waiting for us," she pointed out, as she pulled her shorts up.

"He knows I'm fuckin' you. I'm pretty sure he's not exactly waiting impatiently or anything," he replied.

"Get dressed," Dallas insisted, giving Jon a look.

He sighed and stood up from the bed, as he began putting his clothes back on. "You know, you might be a real bitch, but you're a great fuck," he told her.

"Thank you. You're pretty good yourself, Mox," she reciprocated, as she touched up her hair and makeup in the mirror.

"Stop calling me Mox."

"Why?" she asked.

"Because it's not my name. I haven't gone by it in years."

"Oh stop being such a baby," she dismissed him.

He slapped her ass, as he headed out of bedroom, fully dressed. Dallas quickly followed behind him. The pair headed down the stairs and put their shoes on. They left her house, knowing that there was no need to drive, as the small bar was only two blocks away from her house.

"I don't understand how you can be such a raging bitch and still be the hottest fuck," Jon thought aloud, as the pair walked down the street.

"You're an ass."

"I'm serious. As a human, you're kind of shitty. But get me inside of that pussy and suddenly, it's like my dick forgot what stamina is."

She laughed. "Maybe the fact that we don't like each other makes the sex that much better," she suggested.

He contemplated her words, before nodding in agreement. "You know, I think you're onto something there."

When Jon and Dallas arrived at their destination, he held the door open for her, and she walked inside. "Look at that. I thought you weren't housebroken," she commented.

He rolled his eyes. "You're welcome." The brunette sat next to Grant at the bar. Jon sat on her other side.

"I didn't expect to see you two so soon," he commented.

"What can I say? We were making it quick," Jon replied.

"Apparently."

Dallas smirked. "We all knew it was gonna be quick. I'm good at what I do," she replied with a jokingly arrogant tone.

Jon rolled his eyes at her again. "You give the woman a compliment about her performance, and it immediately goes to her head."

"Are you two dating or something?" Grant questioned. Both Jon and Dallas gave him a look. "I only ask because…you two seem to…I dunno…you seem like you're on the same page. And on top of the vibe you're both giving off, Jon, you got pretty jealous when you thought she was banging her brother." Grant smirked, and Dallas laughed at the last comment he made.

"First of all, I wasn't jealous. Secondly, I would never date her."

"He'd only be so lucky. I would never date him. Hell, I have no interest in ever dating anyone again, but if I was even gonna consider it, he would be the last person I'd get involved with like that," she replied.

"Don't even play that game. If I wanted to date you, you know you'd fall all over yourself trying to make me happy."

"I'd probably stab you in the first hour of our relationship."

"She's a bitch," Jon surmised.

"I am. But he's an asshole."

He nodded. "I definitely am."

"I'm pretty sure I've never met two people who seemed to fit together so well," Grant commented.

"Because I'm the kind, charitable lady, and he's the mangy mutt in need?" Dallas rhetorically asked. "It'd never happen."

"You? Kind? Bullshit," Jon breathed.

The bartender headed over to the pair. "What can I get you two?" he asked.

"Budweiser," they both replied at the same time. Then, they look at each other, surprised. The bartender went ahead and got them their beers.

"Don't copy me, asshole," Dallas spat.

"You copied me," Jon quipped.

"I'm just saying…I'd love to be invited to the wedding."

"He's disgusting," she said, before taking a drink of her beer.

"That's not what you were saying twenty minutes ago," Jon retorted.

"The man has a point."

"He's disgusting as a person. As for fucking…that's one thing he's actually pretty good at," she replied.

"At least you can appreciate some of my skills."

"Well, you don't have many. May as well give credit the rare times that it's due," she retaliated with a patronizing smile.

"You two are something," Grant breathed, as he took a drink of his beer, while he watched his two friends bicker…and yet flirt at the same time.


	11. Chapter 11

Rolling With the Punches

Chapter 11

Disclaimer: This didn't really happen. It's fictional.

* * *

 **A/N: A huge thank you to: alibob687 (They really are. They need to get a grip. I also like how I talk about them as if I'm not the one writing this...but anyways, I doubt they'll be able to let go of their childishness any time in the near future ;) It'll be worth it, though. I'm actually writing chapter 27, as we speak lol) and DeeMarie426 (Doesn't it always? They aren't going to be able to control themselves and are gonna get in a world of trouble...and drama...lots of drama). I hope you're all enjoying this still. I hope you know how much I appreciate every single person who reads this. And I'm working on typing up the next couple of chapters, so I could try and update during the week, possibly while I'm at work or something. Anyways, please leave reviews. I love them, and they make me happy. Love you guys XoXoXo**

* * *

Dallas was home from the bar. She had to admit, it was a pretty good time, even with Jon there. They threw back a bunch of beers, shared some stories, and had a blast. Granted, Dallas and Jon spent a decent amount of time bickering, yet they still managed to make it a good night. While she wasn't going to admit it any time soon, Jon was actually pretty cool to hand out with. He was an asshole…but she could at least tolerate him.

She changed into a pair of black yoga shorts and a white tank top. She took her makeup off and threw her hair up in a messy bun on top of her head. Dallas crawled into her bed. She could still smell Jon on her pillow. She made a disgusted face. While she'd had a number of beers, she wasn't incredibly drunk.

The blaring ringtone of her phone indicated she was getting a phone call. Dallas picked it up from her night table and glanced at the screen. It was Grant. She picked it up.

"Couldn't stay away, Havoc?" she greeted, resting her head on her pillow.

"You know it," the familiar rasp of Jon filled her ears.

"Mox. What do you want?"

"Just letting you know that I'll be at your door in like five minutes. I'm being dropped off on your doorstep."

"Ugh. I'm tired, Jon."

"What the fuck, Dallas? Don't give me that shit. Man up. I'll see you soon," he told her, before ending the call.

She rolled her eyes and sighed. She put the phone back down on her night table, leaving it to charge. Letting out a groan, Dallas got up and headed downstairs to wait for her slightly unwelcome guest. She grabbed her cigarettes out of the drawer in the table next to her front door, along with her lighter. While Dallas didn't smoke often and couldn't because it'd be much too difficult to smoke frequently and maintain her ability to do her job as well as she did, she sometimes found that when she was stressed out and tense, it would help calm her down significantly.

She opened the front door and walked out of the glass storm door, only allowing the storm door to shut behind her. Dallas sat on her porch bench sideways, stretching her legs out in front of her. She pulled a Marlboro Light out of the box and quickly lit it, bringing the lit cigarette to her lips, Dallas sucked in the fumes that made her feel a small amount of relief from everything going on in her life. She immediately felt more relaxed, as she blew the smoke out of her lungs.

The headlights of Grant's car illuminated her driveway. Her friend gave her a wave from the driver's seat, a smirk resting on his lips. Dallas sent a smile in his direction, before the passenger's side door opened. Jon got out and shut the door, as he headed to Dallas.

"Later fuckers," Grant teased, before driving away. Jon headed up the short path from the driveway to the steps that led up to her porch. He headed over to her, while she sat in the cool night air, enjoying her buzz and her cigarette.

"Long time no see," she spoke, a grin pulling at her lips.

"What can I say? My dick loves being buried in that pussy," he replied with a shrug.

"I'm sure you could've found someone else…"

"I'm sure I could've, too, but at least with you, I know it'll be good…and it requires a hell of a lot less effort."

Dallas rolled her eyes at him. "Don't get too attached, Mox."

"Trust me, I would never. Besides the fact that I have no interest in being attached, I'd never be attached to you of all people."

"Good," she said, taking a long drag of the cigarette.

"You know that shit's bad for you, right?"

"When the fuck did you become the Surgeon General?" she shot back, raising an eyebrow at him.

He shrugged and sat at the other end of the bench that Dallas was sitting on. She pressed her foot to his jean-clad thigh. "I figured since Grant was trying to fuck some broad, I might as well give him some space and get my dick wet with you," he explained.

"Anna?"

"What? Who the fuck is Anna?"

"Is that the _broad_ he's trying to fuck?" she clarified.

"Oh…uh…I think so. Sounds familiar."

"That's his girlfriend, you jackass."

"Since when?" he incredulously questioned.

"Like a year ago."

"Oh…well, that makes sense. I feel like he's mentioned that name a bunch of times. Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure I've met her," he realized.

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Dumbass."

"Why are you always such a bitch?"

Shrugged, as she flicked the finished cigarette off of the porch, she stretched both of her legs out over Jon's lap. "I dunno. I mean, if we're being honest here, I don't recall ever actually being nice, per se. But I guess after a lot of the shit that I went through, I stopped even trying to be nice. And the shit with Kevin…well, that solidified the fact that I'd never be nice again…and became an even bigger bitch than before," she honestly replied.

"What's your deal? Are you here to ruin his marriage or something?" Jon questioned, though his tone lacked any judgement.

She scoffed. "Me being here has nothing to do with that asshole. The last thing I wanted to do was be anywhere near him. But the WWE came calling. I'm not gonna sacrifice my career and my success for some piece of trash who fucked me over. Fuck that," she replied, a scowl taking over her features.

"Someone seems angry."

"You're damn right I am. I don't give a fuck what anyone thinks about me, Mox. And the absolute last thing I'll ever do is fuck myself over for Kevin. As far as I'm concerned, he can go fuck himself."

"Then, why the fuck is he showing up at your hotel room?"

"I don't know. Who the hell is he to give me shit when I'm trying to get laid? Who I fuck is none of his business. It's none of anyone's business, actually. I'm a grown ass woman. I can do whatever I want…or in this case, whomever I want."

"I agree with you on that one," he told her.

"You better not let everyone know that we fucked," she warned.

"Why the hell would I tell anyone?"

"I dunno."

"I'll probably tell Joe, though."

"And I'll tell Saraya, but that's it."

"Fair enough. You better not tell Kevin because the last thing I need is an angry ex-boyfriend showing up at my hotel room."

"Why the fuck would I tell him?"

Jon shrugged. "Attention? I dunno why you bitches do these things."

"I'm trying to not speak to that asshole ever again."

"Good."

"Why? You afraid of him, Mox?" Dallas teased.

"No. I just don't want him losing his shit. Plus, if he did that, word would probably get out about us, and that's the last thing I need."

"Us? You make it sound like we're a thing."

"I mean, this is a fucking thing. Not like…we're…dating or some shit," he replied.

"Just to make it clear, Mox, if I haven't made it clear enough, I would never, not in a million years, date you."

"First of all, quit fuckin' calling me that. Second, you'd never be lucky enough to date me. I'm fuckin' awesome."

"You're full of yourself."

"And you're a bitch. Now, can we fuck? Or what?"

A smirk pulled at her lips. "Fine."

* * *

The next morning, Dallas opened an eye, feeling the sun on her face. The evening's activities quickly flooded her thoughts. They went two rounds the night before…or more accurately, in the wee hours or the morning. Turning her head, Dallas expected that Jon would be gone. Relief flooded her when she saw that the other side of the bed was, in fact, empty.

The last thing that she wanted was to deal with him more than she already had. Her body felt sore, which was a nice change of pace. Her voluntary dry spell had lasted a few months. She couldn't deny how much she really enjoyed getting back into it. She remembered quickly why she enjoyed sex so much, in the first place. She loved taking care of that primal need.

"Morning sunshine," Jon's voice rang out.

A groan escaped her lips, as she sat up. The naked man walked into her bedroom. "What the fuck are you still doing here? I thought you left."

"Nope. Just had to pee."

He climbed back into the bed. "So, you look well-fucked. You're welcome."

"Shut up," she muttered.

"You seem pretty bitchy for someone who was begging for it last night," he shot.

"Just because I enjoyed fucking you doesn't mean that I enjoy hanging out with you or even want to at all."

"You'll live."

"I have shit to do today, you know."

"Like what?"

"I have to go to the gym," she started.

"What a coincidence. So do I," he replied.

"Are you gonna start stalking me or something? Is this like when someone feeds a stray dog, and the dog follows them around everywhere?"

"Did you just call me a dog?"

"I would not call you a dog. That'd be an insult to dogs everywhere," she quipped. "And I like dogs. I don't like you."

"That's alright. I really don't like you either." He paused. "It just sucks that you're such a good fuck."

"Why is that?"

"Because I'm gonna have to deal with you every time I want to get my dick in there," he pointed out.

"If it's such a problem for you, you can go find someone else to fuck."

"Nah. For whatever reason, I enjoy fucking you. You're pretty tight for a slut."

"Such a lady killer," she sarcastically shot. Dallas glanced at his hardening dick. "Does bickering with me turn you on, Mox?"

Jon smirked at her. "Guess so," he replied, pulling her onto his lap so that she was straddling him. He grabbed his dick and rubbed it against her core. "Apparently I'm not the only one," he commented.

She shrugged, a mischievous smirk on her face. "Guess not," she nonchalantly spoke, before impaling herself on him.

"Ah fuck," he growled.

Dallas brought her hands onto his shoulders, biting onto her lower lip. She began riding him quite enthusiastically. Jon's hands held onto her hips.

"Now this is how I like waking up," he commented.

"You have an amazing dick," Dallas moaned.

"I know," he cockily spoke, eliciting a glare from the woman on top of him.

Dallas pushed him from a seated position to laying down on her bed, resting her palms on his chest, as she began picking up the pace.

Jon's eyes rolled back in his head. "Shit," he groaned.

Dallas's body was already sensitive from the previous day's multiple, thorough fuckings. She was enjoying every second of their actions. There was something about Jon that turned her on. While his personality left much to be desired, he was a skilled man in the bedroom…and in the airplane bathroom.

"I'm already close," he breathed. "Fuck. You're so fuckin' good." He brought his thumb onto her already sensitive clit, wanting to bring her to her own release. While Jon wasn't completely interested in making her orgasm, seeing as he couldn't care less about her, when she came with him inside of her, it was a feeling unlike any other.

"Fuck Mox," she growled, inching closer and closer to her own release. "So fuckin'…"

And suddenly it hit her. Her fingernails gently raked down the skin of his chest, as her body was not being supported by her two arms that were quickly feeling like spaghetti. Jon pulled her body down against his, as he thrust up into her, as he began cumming inside of her.

The pair remained in that position until they caught their breath, when Dallas finally rolled off of him. He turned onto his side. "That is the only reason I'm willing to tolerate being anywhere near you," he spoke, still breathing heavy.

"Ditto."

His eyes took in the sight of her naked body. "You're really hot. I don't know if you know that or not, but you are. That body is made for fucking."

She rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Mox."

"What?! That was a compliment."

"I know. Just…stop talking. Your voice is starting to irritate me."

He gave her a look. She rolled her eyes.


	12. Chapter 12

Rolling With the Punches

Chapter 12

Disclaimer: This is called fiction for a reason…it didn't happen. I only own the OCs, including Dallas, Zach, and anyone else who might pop up and not exist in the real world.

* * *

 **A/N: Long time no see :) A huge thank you to my faithful two: DeeMarie426 (Agreed!) and alibob687 (They're just benefits lol no friendship there...but how long can that honestly last? Especially when I'm writing it lol Thanks, love!). I ended up in the hospital yesterday...and I'm completely fine. I stayed home from work today to rest up and kind of get my body back to being functional, so while I slept most of the day away, I figured since I want home, and it was already typed up, why not just give you guys the next chapter? I will warn you, in the coming chapters, things get much more complicated. So, let me know what you're thinking, how you're feeling about this, and hopefully I'll get another one of these guys posted in the next few days :) Love you guys! XoXoXo**

* * *

"You didn't call me!" Saraya cried, as soon as Dallas made her way into the locker room for the evening's house show.

"Hey, that's a two-way street, lady," the brunette replied, putting her bags down. "Where's everyone else?"

Saraya shrugged, as she walked over to her friend, the two women embracing. "Becky, Ash, and Danielle are in catering. Mercedes is…I don't actually know…" She thought for a moment. "Oh! She went to the other locker room to talk to Trin."

"Oh. Okay."

"So…how was Philly?"

A smirk formed on her face. "Good. How's your Kevin?"

Saraya allowed the big, goofy smile to form on her face. "Great," she replied. "Wait. Why are you smiling? Did you get laid?"

"Why would you assume that because I'm smiling I got laid?" Dallas questioned.

"Because it's written all over your face. Oh my God. Did you fuck Kevin?"

"What?! No!" she quickly denied. "I don't even know why you'd suggest that it was that fucking asshole."

Saraya eyed her suspiciously. "Spill it!"

Dallas chuckled. "I did get laid…a lot," she admitted.

"I knew it! So, who's the lucky guy? Do I know him? Or did you start banging a random?" she questioned.

"Alright, I need you to not breathe a word to anyone about this. Okay?"

"Of course. Who would I tell anyway?"

"Right." Dallas took a deep breath and let it out. "Mox."

Saraya remained silent, her face frozen, as she was in shock from this admission. "As in Jon Good?" she finally asked.

"Yup."

"Holy shit. How in the bloody hell did that happen?"

"Well, it started on the plane. Turns out, he was flying to Philly, too."

"I didn't know he lives there."

"He doesn't. He was going to hang out with someone, who, as it turns out, is a mutual friend of ours from CZW."

"Oh."

"Yeah. So, anyway, the dickhead switched seats with the old lady sitting next to me, saying that he was my boyfriend, just to piss me off. Anyway, we ended up fucking in the bathroom. Then, he showed up at my house with our friend and wanted to have dinner. Zach was over. We were eating, and Jon told Zach, and I'm quoting 'Hey Zach, I fucked your girlfriend today.' And we were laughing our asses off, when I explained that Zach is my brother…who is gay. But anyway, we ended up fucking after Zach left…went to a bar. He showed back up after I went home. We fucked twice that night. We fucked the next morning, twice, until I finally managed to get rid of him," she explained.

"Fuck, Dal."

"I know."

"Was it good?"

"Amazing. I might want to stab him in the face every time I see him, but he is just…he's great in bed."

"Well, that's good. You really needed that."

"I did."

"Are you two a thing or something?"

Dallas raised an eyebrow. "Oh God, no. Not at all," she flatly denied. "I still don't fucking like him at all. He's a pain in my ass. I just enjoy screwing him."

"Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, this could end badly. Remember what happened with Austin last year?"

"I know. I know," she breathed.

"You don't want to get involved in that shit again."

"I know. I warned him that he better not get feelings and shit."

"And he listens so well…"

"The only difference is that Austin and I were friends before we started screwing around. Mox and I don't like each other. We just like having sex with each other."

Saraya pressed her lips together. "I'm concerned. Just don't let this shit get out of control. Okay?"

"I won't. Trust me, the last thing that I need is more drama in my life."

"Speaking of drama, have you heard from Kevin?"

Dallas shook her head. "No. And I promise that if that stupid son of a bitch wants to play games with me, I'll fucking win."

The other woman laughed. "I kind of want to watch you ruin his entire life," she told her.

The brunette chuckled. "I want to do it."

"Hey hotties!" Mercedes greeted, walking into the locker room.

"Hey Banks!" Dallas spoke, the two women embracing.

"So, what's this I hear about Kevin starting shit with you?" she questioned.

"Um…well…he's just an asshole. How'd you hear?"

Mercedes smiled sheepishly. "I uh…happened to be eavesdropping on a conversation between Kevin and Rami. And I heard Rami mention something about Kevin having to stay away from you from now on," she replied.

"Yeah…I mean…I was in my hotel room with Tom the other night, and douchebag interrupted. He flipped a shit on me. Dickhole bruised my arm and all," she said, pulling her arm out of her hoodie and showing the two women the nearly healed bruise.

"Uhh…he put his hands on you?" Mercedes questioned.

"He grabbed me. But anyway, that's beside the point. I don't know what his problem is. Besides being a plain old asshole, that is."

"Maybe he still has feelings for you," Mercedes suggested.

"He's married," Dallas pointed out.

"Doesn't mean anything," Saraya replied.

"He dumped me. Cheated on me and dumped me. That doesn't exactly scream 'I love you' at me."

"But storming in on you and Tom and flipping the hell out doesn't either?" Saraya questioned matter of factly.

"She's right," Mercedes agreed.

"Ugh. Just the thought of him turns my stomach," Dallas groaned. "I'm gonna go to catering and grab a drink. Any of you bitches want anything?"

"I'm good," Mercedes replied.

"Me, too," Saraya agreed.

"I'll be back."

* * *

"Dude, you're in a good mood. It's freakin' me out here," Joe spoke with a chuckle.

"You wanna know why?" Jon asked.

"You got laid. You've gotten laid plenty of times. Doesn't usually make you act like this," the Samoan replied, raising an eyebrow.

"You wanna know who the lucky lady was?"

"No. Do I actually know her this time around?"

"You do."

"Fuck, man. Who'd you do?"

"Dallas."

Joe remained silent and stared at his friend, trying to comprehend what he just said. "As in…the Dallas that works here? The one I specifically told you not to sleep with?" he pointedly questioned.

"That'd be the one." The cocky grin on his face was unmistakable. He was quite proud of his accomplishment.

"How the hell did you manage that one?" he questioned, unsure if he was irritated with his friend for doing what he asked him not to or more impressed that he actually managed to seal the deal with someone who clearly was not a fan of his.

Jon shrugged. "I dunno. I fucked her on the plane to Philly. Then, I fucked her at her house a few times."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. She's hot as fuck. And she's great in the sack."

"I don't care. You better not fuck around with her. I'm pretty sure half the locker room would murder you, if you did."

"Probably," Jon replied with a shrug.

"You better hope Kevin doesn't find out. He'll probably kill you with his bare hands," Joe warned him with a laugh.

"He won't. And if he does, it wouldn't matter anyway because Dallas hates him. And when I say she hates him, I mean more than she hates me."

"Wow."

"He uh knocked up some other bitch, while he was with Dallas. Then, he married her," he explained.

"I know. Everyone knows. I told you that."

"Did you really?"

"Yeah. Twice, actually. You don't listen at all, do you?"

"Not really. No," he replied, shaking his head.

* * *

Dallas made her way to catering. She was wearing a pair of denim shorts, a black, fitted wife beater, and her A Day to Remember hoodie. Kevin…Saraya's Kevin, that is…gave it to her, when she accompanied his girlfriend to one of his shows, a number of months ago. She also had on her black and white Converses.

Dallas pushed the catering doors opened dramatically and walked inside. She headed over to the chilled bottles of water and grabbed one. She opened it and took a long drink of the cold liquid. She noticed someone walk in and glanced over. Her eyes rolled, upon recognizing Kevin. She glanced around, noticing that they were alone.

"Hey," he spoke, grabbing a water of his own. She turned around and looked behind herself. No one there. He was definitely talking to her. She sent a glare in his direction, but she remained silent. "I uh…I wanted to talk to you," he continued.

"Such a coincidence, Kev, because I _don't_ want to talk to you," she shot.

"I know. But I'm asking for five minutes."

"You had five years."

"Please?"

"No," Dallas flatly denied.

"Dallas, don't be difficult because you're pissed off with me about what happened the other night."

"You had no fucking right to do what you did," she snapped.

"I know. And I'm sorry."

She rolled her eyes. "Apology not accepted. You had absolutely no right to come into my room, yell at me, grab me, and ruin my entire fucking night. I could've been getting gangbanged by the entire WWE and NXT roster, and it still wouldn't have been any of your business."

"You're absolutely right. I'm not trying to fight with you."

"I just want you to go away."

"So, we have to work together, but you don't want to clear the air between us?" he questioned her.

"Incorrect. We don't work together. We just happen to work for the same company. They're not the same thing."

"Why do you have to act this way? You know how much it frustrates me when you act like you don't care and nothing bothers you."

Dallas rolled her eyes. "Because you just know me so fucking well these days, right?" she sneered.

"Don't give me that hardass bullshit, Dal."

She let out a bitter chuckle. "Oh fuck off, Steen."

"Steen? Steen? Now, you're calling me by my last name? What the fuck is your problem?" he incredulously asked her.

"Please tell me you didn't just ask me what my problem is," she breathed, feeling the anger course through her veins.

"I did," he replied, clearly growing irritated with her attitude.

"Where would you like to begin? You wanna begin with the fucked up shit you did to me, when you fucked around behind my back? Do you wanna start with you running to Stephanie like a little pussy bitch, when you found out that I was here? Or when you stormed into my hotel room like a fucking psychopath because you knew that I was in there with someone?" She'd begun raising her voice at him, which wasn't so bad, considering it was early enough that there was no one else around to witness the exchange.

"I'm trying to apologize for what I've done since you've been here," he told her. "When Good told me that you were with Tom, I just lost it. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gone to your room and acted the way I did."

"No, you shouldn't—wait a second. What did you say? Good? As in Jon Good is the one who told you?" she questioned, screwing the cap back on her water bottle.

"Yeah…"

"Motherfucker!" she cursed, before storming out of catering with Kevin calling after her. Dallas stormed through the hallways, looking for one person and one person only.

The second she found the locker room door that she was looking for, Dallas pounded on it with her balled up fist. It opened a couple of moments later. Dallas came face to chest with Joe. "Where is that loose-lipped son of a bitch?" she seethed.

He opened the door wider, allowing her to see Jon in there. She stormed in passed the Samoan and threw her water bottle at the man she was ready to tear apart. "You fucking asshole!" she yelled, as the bottle hit his shoulder.

Joe shut the door. "Lover's quarrel already?" he teased.

She shot him a look, and he put his hands up defensively. "So, you think it's fucking funny telling Kevin that Tom was with me that night? Why? Because you were mad that I wasn't going back to your room? You wanted to fuck me? Is that it?"

Jon chuckled. "Oh calm your tits, short stack. When I told him, I didn't know I was gonna fuck you," he defended himself.

"But you didn't think it was worth mentioning at any point?"

He carelessly shrugged. "Nah. Not really. No," he replied, shaking his head with a frown. Jon's nonchalant attitude about the situation at hand was really pissing her off. "Besides, what the fuck does it matter anyway?"

"I wouldn't have fucked you, if I knew that you were the reason for my shitty night," she yelled at him, her voice reflecting her level of anger.

Jon rolled his eyes. "Don't be so dramatic."

"You're an asshole, Mox," she spat. "And I'm sorry I ever fucked you."

"Like you didn't know that about me before we fucked," he shot back.

"Yeah, well, good luck fucking me now."

"I don't need luck, sweetheart. I have this," he replied, grabbing his crotch over his jeans. Joe put his face in his hands, shaking it at the situation unfolding in front of him. He wasn't sure if he should separate the two, or if he was going to end up laughing. Not to mention, the chemistry between the two was explosive.

"I can't fucking stand you!" she shouted. "Don't you dare even speak a fucking word to me again, you fucking bastard!"

With that, Dallas stormed out of the locker room, slamming the door behind herself. She found her way back to her own locker room. She walked in and grabbed her bag, not acknowledging any of her friends, before walking back out.

Sneaking out of a back door to a small, secluded lot, Dallas sat against the brick wall of the arena that was housing the evening's live show. Fishing her cigarettes and lighter out of her bag, the brunette quickly lit one up, before throwing the box and lighter back in her bag. She took a long drag of it, leaning her head back and shutting her eyes.

Dallas was getting stressed out…something she didn't know how to effectively handle without going off of the deep end…again. She had too much going on between the bullshit with Kevin and Jon. It was overwhelming.

"I'm not really sure why, but I had a feeling I'd find you out here," the familiar, comforting voice of Saraya filled her ears.

Opening her eyes, Dallas gave a halfhearted smile to her friend, who was walking over to her. "Fuck, Raya," she groaned.

"What the hell happened?" the black-haired beauty questioned, taking a seat next to her stressed out pal.

Dallas took another drag of her cigarette, before blowing the smoke out of her lungs. "Fucking Kevin in catering. Mox's a dickhead. I hate them both."

"First off, we've known that Jon's a dickhead since day one. Secondly, what happened with Kevin?"

"He tried apologizing for what happened…what he did, the other night. I basically told him to fuck off…only come to find out that the only reason he came to my hotel room that night was because Mox fucking told him I was in there with Tom."

"No fucking way," Saraya breathed.

"Yes fucking way," Dallas replied. "I found Mox in his locker room and went off on him. Fucking piece of shit."

"They're assholes…the whole lot of them."

"What am I supposed to do, Ray?"

"I wish I could tell you."

"I can't deal with either of them."

"Maybe Kevin is being sincere," Saraya suggested.

"Fuck him. I don't give a shit if he is…because…fuck him. The guys has just made my life hell lately."

"Listen, I'm going to say something, and I don't want you to get upset with me, okay? But I think you need to hear it. Alright?"

"Shoot."

"Maybe part of the issue with Kevin is that after your breakup, you never allowed yourself time to get over it or really be upset. Hell, a couple of weeks later, you were banging Eddie, right?" Dallas nodded, her eyes focused on the cigarette resting between her fingers. "Then, you kind of just acted like the shit with Kevin never happened. You didn't cry or mope around…nothing that you're kind of supposed to do after a break-up. And yours was a pretty big deal. Five years. And it ended so badly. You needed to be upset."

"I've been through a hell of a lot worse."

"That doesn't mean you couldn't have let yourself be upset over it."

She shrugged. "I was busy. I had so many shows and shit going on. You know? I didn't have time to be upset or mope or whatever. Besides, I'm not built like normal people."

"You're normal. You've just been through so much horrible shit that you're kind of desensitized to your feelings."

"I dunno. I just…ugh." She took another long drag.

"Maybe you just need to sit down with Kevin and hash it all out. You know?"

"I don't wanna talk to that prick."

"But you need closure or whatever," Saraya pointed out.

Dallas sighed. "Yeah. You're right," she finally agreed.

"I know I'm right."

Dallas rolled her eyes, taking a final drag from the cigarette, before flicking it across the empty lot. She let the smoke out of her mouth slowly. "No need to be arrogant about it."

Saraya chuckled. "I want you to be okay. That's all."

"I know."

"Let's go back inside. And maybe at some point, you'll seriously consider talking to Kevin. Alright?"

"Alright," she agreed. She knew that Saraya was right. She had never gotten closure. That with the way she managed to emotionally disconnect herself, made for a bad combination. She needed to fix her shit before she could let go of some of the hostility she still harbored towards her ex-boyfriend. As for Jon, she was pretty sure she would just end up punching him in the head a couple of times, before she would even consider forgiving him.


	13. Chapter 13

Rolling With the Punches

Chapter 13

Disclaimer: This is not fact but fiction. It did not happen.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello! I'm sure you weren't expecting an update so soon :) That's what happens. I get excited when I get reviews and can't control myself. A huge thank you to: DenyingTheTruth (She really goes at Kevin. And trust me, when it comes to Jon, she's not going to make it easy for him.), alibob687 (I'm good. In fact, my doctor said that my blood work was impressively good, so nothing crazy. Dallas thinks she has willpower...but I don't lol), KairiAnneYukari21 (Jon is an ass lol and Kevin...he's just going to be a thorn in her side until he gets what he wants...), and DeeMarie426 (Honestly, it was meant to be entertaining, so I'm glad you found it funny :) Thank you!). You guys are the shit. Seriously. I love you all. This one isn't as action-packed...but it's getting the action moving soon, so, let me know what you think. And anything that is said in one of the parts, you'll know which one when you read it, is not meant to offend anyone. It's a reaction to someone else's offensive behavior, so I just don't want it to be misunderstood. Love you guys! XoXoXo**

* * *

Dallas was in her hotel room, after the show that night. They would be making the three hour drive to Monday Night Raw the next morning. She would be driving with Saraya only, which was her friend's idea. She figured it would be much easier to openly talk about what had been going on, if it were just the two of them.

Laying in the bed with the television on, though her thoughts were elsewhere. Dallas was trying to figure out what she should do. Should she talk to Kevin? Better yet…could she handle that? She wasn't entirely sure if she would be able to. She had been perfectly content avoiding him altogether. Truth be told, Dallas wasn't exactly good when it came to dealing with that kind of stuff…emotions and feelings…especially when it had to do with things that weren't happiness or anger. It was the things that made her upset that she had no interest in dealing with or talking about.

The vibration of her cell phone on the night table momentarily distracted her from her nagging thoughts. She grabbed it and opened the new text message.

'Hey beautiful' it read.

A smile pulled at the corners of her lips. Tom was a sweet guy. There was no denying that. 'Hey handsome.'

Within a couple of moments, her phone began ringing. She answered the call. "Hey," she greeted.

"Hey…I figured I'd call since you were obviously up."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. I wanted to hear that voice."

"You're cute."

"Cute? I was going for sexy and irresistible," he teased with a chuckle.

"Oh trust me, you're very sexy."

"You think so?"

"Definitely."

"So, when are you gonna be in Florida?"

"I wanna say Wednesday. Yeah. Wednesday. I'll be at the Performance Center Wednesday and Thursday, and then, it's back on that grind. I've got three live shows, Raw, Smackdown, flying home to Philly, rinse, and repeat."

"Where are you staying in Florida?"

"I was gonna get a hotel room."

"Well, what if you came and stayed with me? It'd give us a chance to hang out…hopefully without any ex-boyfriend interference," he suggested with a chuckle.

"Oh…um…I dunno, Tom. I don't want to put you out or anything," Dallas replied.

"I offered. Besides, I'd love to have you. I have a guest bedroom, so you wouldn't even have to share my bed…if you didn't want to."

"Who says I wouldn't want to?" she teased.

"Trust me, sweetheart, you're more than welcome in my bed any time," he replied. Dallas knew that he meant it, and she didn't have a problem with it either. "Come on. I wanna hang out with you. I like you, Dal. You're a cool chick."

She sighed and thought for a moment. "Are you sure you really want me to come stay with you?"

"Absolutely."

"Alright," she finally agreed.

"That's awesome. When are you flying in?"

"Tuesday night, after the Smackdown taping."

"With Raya?"

"Yup."

"Alright. I'll pick you up from the airport. And are you flying out Thursday night?"

"Friday morning, bright and early."

"Alright. Well, I can drop you off for your flight out."

"Well…thank you."

"No. Thank you. I've been dying to hang out with you."

She smiled. It was nice to feel like she was wanted. "We'll have a lot of fun."

"We will. Alright. I guess I'll let you go to sleep. I'm sure you gotta be up early in the morning," he spoke.

"Five AM gym time," she replied with a chuckle.

"Ugh. Same here. I'll text you tomorrow."

"Sounds good. Goodnight, Tom."

"'Night, Dal."

The call ended, and Dallas smiled to herself. With everything that was going on in her life, it was nice to have something to look forward to…with a good guy. Not that she expected they wouldn't be hooking up, but regardless, he was nothing lie Jon. Jon was a dick. Tom was sweet. It was a nice change of pace for her.

* * *

"You're gonna stay with me when we fly to Florida, right?" Saraya asked from the passenger's seat of the rental car.

"Um…actually…it's funny you should bring that up…"

"Oh?" The English Diva raised an eyebrow.

"Tom called me last night. He invited me to stay with him," Dallas spoke, grinning like the Cheshire cat.

"No fucking way! Even after the Kevin incident and all?"

"Apparently. He said he's been dying to hang out with me."

"Oooh. Look at you with three guys."

"Three guys?"

"Kevin's still got a hard-on for you. Jon's banging you. And Tom wants to bang you," she listed them off.

"Kevin is a definite 'no go'. Mox is a 'not ever again'. Tom is a…hopefully," she replied with a laugh.

"Bullshit. You know you're gonna end up screwing Jon again. You enjoyed it too much not to get that again."

"That doesn't mean anything. I can find someone else just as good. Fuck. Tom's probably a hell of a lot better."

"Are you trying to convince me? Or yourself?"

"Probably both."

Saraya laughed. "If the only reason you don't want to sleep with him again is that you don't like him, and he's an asshole, you're gonna have to try to a lot harder than that. Your attitude towards each other, apparently, doesn't matter, once the two of you get your clothes off," she pointed out. "Was it really good?"

"As much as I have giving that smug jerkoff credit, yeah. It was fuckin'…" She let out a breath. "I've had my fair share of sex…probably more than my fair share, but it was…it was pretty wow," she admitted.

"So? Fuck Jon again. And again. Who cares?"

"He's a prick. I can't deal with him."

"Like that really matters?"

"Why are you trying to get me to keep fucking Mox?"

"Because…you're young and beautiful. Might as well take advantage of it. Fuck Tom and Jon. Who cares?"

"I've given myself a bad enough reputation. I don't need to go ahead and make it worse," she pointed out.

"Fuck that. Anyone who judges you is an asshole. You don't owe anyone an explanation for what goes on in your vagina."

"Well, I know I don't. But everyone else acts like I do."

Saraya rolled her eyes. "Since when do you give a fuck about what anyone else thinks?" she questioned.

Dallas sighed. "You're right."

"I know I am," she replied, a satisfied smirk on her lips.

"Bitch."

"Thank you." She paused. "Besides, I'm pretty sure the only one that is concerning themselves with who you get yourself involved with is Kevin."

"I don't know what his problem is. The douchebag is married. He needs to just go away and leave me alone."

"I guess that means you're not gonna talk to him?"

Dallas let out a loud breath. "I will. I just don't know when. You know how I get with this shit. I don't like talking about feelings. I just like kicking asses."

"I know, but that's not really going to help you."

"Ugh. I know."

"Listen, I'm not telling you what to do one way or the other. I just think it'd be better for you to say your piece and get it all out."

"I know. You're right."

"Well, just consider it."

"I know. And I'll do it. Just not right now. I can't handle it."

"Okay." There was a silence between the two friends. "You're gonna fuck Tom."

Dallas laughed. "Probably."

* * *

Monday Night Raw found Dallas in an altercation with Nikki Bella, where she was set to have a match against the former Diva's Champion. She figured that was a good sign, knowing the Bella Twins were on everyone important's good list. It made her believe that this was a move in the right direction. Not that Dallas necessarily has the highest opinion of her. She believed that Nikki was only in the position she was in because of her well-known, well-documented relationship with the top dog, John Cena. But she would take what she could get, at this point.

"Dude, you're looking good," Saraya commented, when Dallas was in one of the hallways, sitting on a bunch of storage containers, post-hair and makeup.

"Thanks. I was hoping I'd run into you," she replied, hopping down. "You weren't in the locker room, and I didn't feel like hanging out in there tonight."

"Oh. Because of little Miss Eva Marie?" Saraya spoke, mocking the name.

"Yeah. Fucking Natalie is a twat."

"I'm pretty sure no one has ever been so genuinely disliked before."

"Yeah. Plus, she hurt Leah the other night at the NXT tapings. The bitch is terrible. Never have I seen someone botch their own finisher consistently and still manage to hold onto her job," Dallas groaned.

"She's useless. I haven't missed having her around. The world would be a much more pleasant place, if she would just fuck off already."

"Hey sexy ladies," a familiar voice greeted.

"Hey Colby," Saraya and Dallas spoke in unison.

"Dal, you're looking good. I hear you've got a match tonight," he spoke.

"Yup. Against the wonderful Nikki Bella." The lack of enthusiasm in her voice wasn't lost on him. Neither was the eye roll.

"How're things going? Besides the shit with Steen?"

"How do you know about that, Gossip Queen?" Saraya asked.

"I'm friends with him," he coolly replied.

"Fuck Steen. I don't give a shit about that 'situation'," she replied using her fingers as air quotes. "I'm alright."

"Weird question…are you and Pestock a thing?"

Dallas raised an eyebrow. "I don't know. Are you and the Nazi bitch still a thing?" she retorted. Saraya slapped a hand over her mouth to hold back her laugh.

Colby made a face. "I'm still with Zahra," he calmly replied.

The brunette made a face. "Sucks to suck. I'm not with Tom. We're just friends. And I haven't slept with him, if that's what you're getting at. Are you gonna run and go tell big, bad Kevin?" she mocked him.

"No," he denied, shaking his head. "What's the issue with you and Zahra?"

"She's your pet. She hasn't told you?" she patronizingly replied.

"I mean, we don't exactly talk about you."

Dallas rolled her eyes. "Right because she doesn't really do much without your dick in her mouth." Colby gave her a look, and she reacted with a fake smile. "Your girl is a cocky bitch with a bad attitude…even worse than mine and that's saying something. When I was training at the Performance Center, she was fucking up during drills, one day, and I decided to try and be nice and help her out. She acted like a fucking twat, I went off on her stupid ass, and we never got along after that. Maybe it had something to be with me being friends with and hanging out with Scotty Colton. While I don't have a problem with his religious affiliation, your girl does not like the Jews," she shot, shaking her head disapprovingly.

Saraya turned around, so as not to exacerbate the situation any more. Colby gave her a look. "I get it. I get it."

"Man, talk about a downgrade," she breathed. "By the way, if you were unsure, I do still talk to Leighla. She is doing great. The guy she's seeing…grade A."

"Really, Dal? Aren't we friends?" he questioned, becoming irritated with her attitude…and the comments about his girlfriend.

"We are. Pretty good friends, actually. And that's exactly why I'm brutally honest with you…because I love you, and you deserve to know the truth…no matter how much it could hurt you," she told him with a smirk playing on her lips.

"You're a pain in my ass, do you know that?"

"Of course I do," she replied with a cheesy smile. "And nothing makes me happier than being a bitch."

"Well, I already knew that."

"Who doesn't?"

"Good question."

"I hear you're making a lot of enemies here," he said.

Dallas chuckled. "Oh you know me. Making enemies is one of the things I do best, Col."

"True. Don't get yourself into too much trouble, Dal. Alright?"

"No promises."

"Of course not."

"Good luck tonight," he said, winking at Dallas, before walking away.

Once he was out of earshot, Saraya burst out laughing. "Oh my God. I don't know how you say the things you do and still manage to have friends."

The brunette shrugged. "I don't either. He took it all and didn't even fight me. Probably because he knows that I'm right," she replied with a laugh of her own.

"That was by far one of the funniest things I have ever witnessed," she breathed.

Dallas smiled widely. "If I can make you smile, then, I've done my job."


	14. Chapter 14

Rolling With the Punches

Chapter 14

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction and does not portray the real life people in any way other than how I made it up in my head. So…you know…don't take it too seriously.

* * *

 **A/N: A huge thank you for the reviews: Ashleymarie (I try to keep it entertaining... :) I hope you enjoy this one...though, it's not really comedic...but we'll have more of that in the near future, I promise), alibob687 (I didn't like her from day one, and then, the whole thing came out about Rollins cheating on Leighla with her, and I hated her more. I promise in the near future, you'll get some more Jon. I'm trying to put a little space between them...but there's a very specific reason for it :) You're the best!), DenyingTheTruth (I'm the same way. I love Rollins and all, but I dislike Zahra so much that it makes me dislike him a bit. I also loved Leighla so much :( I was sad when they broke up.), and DeeMarie426 (She won't be the only one ;) What can I say? Dallas dislikes a lot of people...besides, Zahra deserves it). This one is a little boring, but I need to move time along. I'll probably have that next one up pretty soon, anyways. Love you guys! XoXoXo**

* * *

"You ready for your match?" Saraya questioned.

"Yeah," Dallas breathed.

"Are you alright?"

The brunette gave her friend a smile. "Yeah. I'm good."

"Everything will be okay."

"I know. I just want to punch Mox in the dick right now."

Saraya chuckled. "Go for it," she encouraged.

"He's such a fuckin' douchebag," she muttered.

"Ready for this, Dallas?" Nikki asked, raising an eyebrow at the newest addition to the Diva's division.

"Always am," she replied with a slight smirk, before turning back to her friend. "See you later, bitch."

"Go kick some ass," the younger Diva spoke, before playfully slapping Dallas on her rear end. She wore a pair of black short shorts with a gray tank top, as well as her ever-present black and white Converses. Her hair was down.

Nikki made her entrance first, accompanied by Brie and Alicia Fox. Dallas waited for her cue. Seeing as she was pretty pissed off with both Jon and Kevin, she was sure that this match was going to be great…even with her opponent being Nikki. She had nothing but anger to work out of her system, and this was the perfect outlet.

"Dallas, go," the backstage tech spoke.

She winked at Saraya, before heading to the gorilla position. Once her music began, she headed out. The WWE Universe cheered for the newcomer, as she made her way out and down the ramp. She couldn't lie…the crowd gave her goosebumps. She wasn't nervous, though. While Dallas was used to smaller audiences, she could handle the bigger crowds without a problem. It was the energy and excitement that she fed off of. She never had a problem with nerves when it came to wrestling. She felt completely comfortable and at home in the ring. Dallas was never unsure or hesitant. Once she was out there, she never felt anything but confident in herself and her abilities.

Diving under the bottom rope, she made her way over to the ropes, hopping on the bottom one and leaning over the top, smirking at the camera, before hopping down and facing her opponent. Her eyes were focused on the Diva, who had a smug expression on her flawless face. But Dallas wasn't concerned in the least. She impatiently waited for the bell to ring, desperately wanting to get her hands on the older Diva.

Once the bell finally sounded, Nikki made a point of blatantly sizing Dallas up. The shorter of the two women put a hand on her hip, looking annoyed with her opponent, while Nikki smirked obnoxiously.

"Come on, old lady. Let's start this," Dallas teased.

"You bitch," Nikki growled. The pair quickly locked up. Dallas lifted her knee up, nailing Nikki in the stomach. She fell forward in pain, as Dallas grabbed her by the arm, Irish Whipping her into the ropes. She clotheslined her, knocking her down to the mat. Nikki got up, still clutching her abdomen from the hard hit she took.

* * *

Rami smirked. "Watching her match, huh?" he teased Kevin, as his best friend was caught watching his ex's match.

"She's the devil, but she's so fucking great in that ring," he breathed, shaking his head. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her.

"I bet."

Kevin shot him a look. "What?"

"Are you watching because of her in-ring skills? Or because you still have a boner for her?" he asked, clearly amused at the situation.

"What kind of question is that?" he asked, incredulously. "I'm a married man."

Rami raised his eyebrows unconvinced. "Sure. Keep telling yourself that," he shot back. "You don't think I see what's going on with you? You've focused one hundred percent of your energy on her. Why would you go and do something like that? Because you don't like her? Bullshit, Kev. I call bullshit."

"It's not like that, man."

"How can you sit here and lie to me like that?"

"I'm not lying. I don't want Dallas. I love Gina."

"Who the fuck do you think you're kidding, man? The only reason you don't want Dallas around is because she's too tempting for you. You've always had it so bad for her. Time and circumstance haven't changed shit," Rami accused.

"She's a thorn in my side."

"You're such a fucking liar. Do you really think I believe any of that bullshit coming out of your mouth?" he questioned.

Kevin glared at his best friend before refocusing his eyes on the closed circuit television. Dallas nailed a Superplex from the top rope, causing both women to lay on the mat, in obvious pain, as they remained mostly motionless for a few moments. The referee checked on the pair. After a few more moments, Dallas got up. She leaned against the turn buckle, trying to catch her breath and give her body a few minutes to heal.

"She's tiny, but she's a beast in that ring," Rami spoke.

"She's so good."

"She deserves to be here."

Kevin nodded, as he watched Dallas sprint across the ring, nailing Nikki with a flying knee, as soon as she got to her feet. She pulled her opponent up by her hair. Bur Nikki elbowed Dallas in the face causing her to back up, her hands coming to rest on her face.

"She can even take the hits. She'll sell the shit out of anything, as long as it looks realistic," Kevin absentmindedly spoke. "She's perfect."

"I'm sorry. Please tell me how you're not obsessed with your ex-girlfriend," he quipped with a sarcastic smirk.

"Dude, I'm not obsessed with her."

"You're watching her and practically drooling."

"I am not."

Kevin knew that he wasn't being entirely truthful. Seeing Dallas around again reminded him of the good times that they had had together. That chapter of his life was the one that he treasured the most. He loved his wife. There was no doubt about it, in his mind. But Dallas held a special place in his heart. He knew her better than anyone else. He knew every curve of her body, every scar, every mark. She was familiar territory. Two years didn't change that for him. He hadn't forgotten anything about her. Nor did he want to. If all he did was watch her matches, he knew that he would be okay and would be able to handle the longing that he was desperately trying to hide.

* * *

Dallas sat up. Nikki pulled her up, roughly grabbing two handfuls of hair. She picked her up in a fireman's carry to hand her finisher, but Dallas managed to wiggle her way out of it. When Nikki turned around, she was nailed with a kick to the head. The longest reigning Diva's Champion went right down to the mat. Dallas stood in the corner of the ring. Once Nikki sat up, she sprinted across the ring and landed her finisher.

Dallas quickly covered her opponent, getting the three-count. She stood up, while the referee held her arm up victoriously. Brie and Alicia got into the ring, causing Dallas to bolt out, heading back up the ramp, smiling patronizingly at the two

Once she got backstage, Dallas saw Stephanie standing there. Luckily, unlike after her first match, she didn't look angry at all. In fact, she seemed fairly pleased. "That match was incredible, Dal. You were great out there."

The younger brunette smiled. "Thanks. See? I can follow the rules."

The Chief Brand Officer of the company gave her a smirk. "Apparently. You did the Diva's division proud tonight."

"And I'll keep doing my best to do that going forward."

* * *

"I'm so glad I can drive with my best friend!" Saraya sang loudly, as the two women left the arena and headed towards their rental car, their luggage in tow.

"I love my Raya!" Dallas sang in reply. She had showered and changed after her match, ready for the late night drive with her friend.

The pair approached the car and quickly put their bags in the trunk. Dallas got in the driver's seat, while Saraya got in the passenger's seat. They left the parking lot and headed on the road, to the town where Smackdown was being taped.

"So, your match was so bad ass…even with Nikki as your opponent," Saraya commented, pride radiating from her.

"I know. I gotta give her credit. She's come a very long way. I thought she would be terrible, but she wasn't."

"Yeah. She's really bad. At least not anymore."

"You know, she actually came up to me after the match and told me that she was impressed. She said that she thought I'd end up being overrated, but she said that she hoped we could have another match at some point. So, she was kind of bitchy to me in the beginning, but she was really nice after our match."

"She has a bit of an ego on her, but she really isn't so bad, once you get to know her," Saraya explained.

"Yeah."

"Have you spoken to Jonny Boy?"

Dallas visibly tensed up. "No…that son of a bitch," she spat with a scowl taking over her features.

"Has he tried?"

"No. Why would he?" she questioned.

"Because I'm sure he'd like to get in your pants again."

Dallas rolled her eyes. "Fuck him. He had to start shit by opening his big mouth," she growled, still holding onto her hostility.

"He made up for it, though."

"How's that?" Dallas questioned, raising an uninterested eyebrow.

"He's the reason you didn't sleep with Tom, sure, but he slept with you a couple of times. So, he didn't completely cock block you…or twat swat, in this case," Saraya reasoned

"He should've just kept his mouth shut and stayed the hell out of my business," Dallas angrily shot.

"Of course he should have. But he gave you a great couple of days off."

"Yeah…"

"Is it big?"

"Is what big?"

"His dick."

"Oh. Yeah. Really big, actually."

"Biggest you've had?"

Dallas thought for a moment. "I dunno about the biggest…but he was…the best," she sheepishly admitted. "The size was big, but not too big. It was…perfect."

"If only you could marry his dick."

Dallas chuckled. "Yeah and get rid of the person attached to it."

Saraya let out a laugh. "Let me ask you this…would you do it again?"

"What do you mean? Like if I could go back in time, would I do it again?"

"No. I mean, if the opportunity presented itself for you two to have a go at it again, would you do it?" she clarified.

"Ohhh…no, I'm too pissed off with him."

"If you weren't?"

"Then, I mean…sure…why not?"

Saraya giggled. "You should just go for it. I mean…why the hell not? If Kevin found out, he'd lose his fucking mind."

"That'd be awesome. I'd love for Kevin to be pissed off about it, but I don't think he'd be," she replied.

"Why not? He burst in on you and Tom and lost his damn mind," she pointed out.

"That's true," Dallas agreed.

"It's not like you're dating the guy or anything…who cares if you like him as a person? Honestly. Just get what you need and leave it at that," Saraya encouraged her.

"He just irritates the fuck out of me."

"Yes, and then, he actually fucks you. I'm just saying. If it's all about sex, it might not be a bad deal. You're both on the road together. It's an easy option."

"But what about Tom?"

"What about him? Listen, he's a really great guy, but what you're shooting for has nothing to do with feelings or emotions. So, who cares? It's not his business what you do when you're not with him," she said.

"Since when are you all for me whoring it up?" Dallas asked her friend with a laugh.

"I don't want you stressed out or upset. Sex keeps you calm. Plus, who doesn't love it? Honestly?"

"I dunno. We'll have to see what happens, I guess."

"Okay…"


	15. Chapter 15

Rolling With the Punches

Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Please understand that this is fiction and is not meant to be a portrayal of these people in the real world. This is my own creation. The OCs are owned by me.

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you to my loyal reviewers: DeeMarie426 (Right? You'd think Saraya had money on them shacking up lol) and alibob687 (Dallas is very popular. And I'm totally Team Jon...but you know it won't be easy getting there ;) I hope you had a wonderful, tequila-filled Halloween. I wore pajamas and typed up the next couple of chapters. This is what happens as I get older lol I consider typing this stuff fun...and fun fact, I'm currently actually writing chapter 32, so there's a lot going on with Dallas...lol And since I love you, I figured I'd give you an update today.). Hope you all are still enjoying crazy Dallas and her man problems. Leave a review and let me know what you think ;) Love you guys! XoXoXo**

* * *

"You're flying to see Tom tonight?" Saraya asked with a smirk, though she already knew the answer.

Mercedes raised her eyebrows. "Ohh finally gonna get at that?" she teased.

"Yup," Dallas replied, smiling proudly. "Can't wait."

"I'm gonna need some details when you get back," the Diva known to the world as Sasha Banks commented.

"I'm sure you'll get all the details you need watching me walk," the brunette replied with a laugh. He two friends joined in the laughter.

"What's so funny?" Jon asked, taking the empty seat next to Dallas.

"You're not welcome at this table," Dallas said, her face turning to stone, her tone icy.

"Oh relax…and stop being so damn dramatic," he waved her off.

"You're the reason that Kevin lost his shit on me and made me look like an idiot. So, I don't want to be anywhere near you," she spoke. She caught the disapproving look that Saraya was shooting at her.

"But you weren't complaining about it the next day on the plane…or in your bedroom…or in your shower…"

Mercedes' mouth fell open. "I hate you. Do you realize that?" Dallas asked him, finding embarrassment taking over.

"You can say that all you want. But no one believes you, Dallas." He looked at the shocked woman sitting at the table. "I fucked the shit out of her. A lot," he told her, with a proud smirk on his face.

"Mox, go the fuck away," Dallas demanded through gritted teeth.

He winked at her. "Only because you asked so nicely, sweetheart." With that, he got up and left the table.

"Uhhh…what was that about?" Mercedes questioned.

"Jon fucked her…like he said," Saraya replied with a smile on her face.

"I thought you two didn't get along."

"We don't."

"So…?"

"Well, it turns out that when you're sex deprived, you'll sleep with anyone, and I'm proof of that," Dallas breathed.

"Was it good?"

"Dal said it was the best she's ever had," Saraya chimed in.

"So, why are you going to see Tom? Go see Jon," Mercedes said with a laugh.

"Tom's a good guy. Besides, he's probably better than that asshole anyway." She paused. "Jon just pisses me off constantly."

"You never know…maybe the two of you could have a little something more going on," Mercedes pointed out.

"That's what I said!" Saraya enthusiastically agreed.

"God no. He's the most infuriating, irritating human being that I have ever met…and I've met a lot of people in my life who annoyed the shit out of me."

"Uh huh. What is this? The little boy tugging on your pigtails at the playground? Maybe Jon likes you, and that's why he's doing this."

"Ugh. No. Trust me, it's not like that."

"I dunno, Dal. When he went to her house, and her brother was there, Jon accused him of being her boyfriend and got all jealous," Saraya explained.

Mercedes laughed. "Wait a second. Zach? He accused Zach of dating you? No way! That's golden!"

A smile played on her lips. "It was pretty funny. We were hysterical. I was like 'he's my brother', and Zach goes 'and I'm gay…' That was so great. We were all laughing our asses off…except for Mox, who stormed out like a child." The three women laughed.

"I dunno, girl. Seems to me like Jon has a crush on you," Mercedes breathed. Saraya nodded in agreement.

"Ugh no. Please. Don't make me vomit."

Mercedes and Saraya gave each other knowing looks, their faces wearing smirks.

* * *

Dallas was hanging out backstage at Smackdown. The show was going on, though, she didn't have a match that night. She was just spending some time with her friends, while doing all she could to avoid both Jon and Kevin. She couldn't deal with the drama that Kevin brought into her life, and she sure as hell wasn't looking to deal with the chaos Jon brought to it.

She was sitting around with everyone watching the closed circuit television with a handful of other Superstars and Divas. She was currently sitting next to Claudio.

"Dal, you're a lot better than you realize," he told her, as the pair was mid-conversation.

"All I'm good at in this world is getting in that ring and kicking ass," she replied.

"You're just talking crazy now."

She gave him a look. "I dunno. I just…" She breathed loudly. "I can't seem to not fuck anything up."

"That's not true," he disagreed.

Dallas took a drink from her water bottle. "Claudio, I'm a fucking train wreck with all of this shit. You know me. I can't handle shit outside of the ring. That's why I love being in there so much. The second I step out of it, I can't deal with real life bullshit."

"Oh relax. You're going to be fine. You just need to stop stressing out over all of this. It'll all fall into place. Don't let the stuff with Steen get you down. He's the one who fucked up, not you. You did nothing wrong. He's just a…prick."

"Hey Claudio, keep my name out of your mouth," the all-too familiar voice of Kevin spoke, taking a seat on the other side of Dallas.

"Hey Kevin, don't listen in on other people's conversations," Claudio shot back.

"What do you want?" Dallas impatiently questioned the intrusion.

"I need to talk to you," he told her.

"No. What you need to do is go away, leave me alone, and not butt into my conversations with my friends," she retorted.

"Come on. I just need a couple of minutes."

"I think the lady told you to leave her alone," Claudio spoke firmly.

"Um, I wasn't actually speaking to you. I was speaking to Dallas," Kevin shot back, raising his voice, as if Claudio was hard of hearing.

"Oh trust me, I'm aware."

"Kevin, please, just leave me alone. I have no patience for your shit…or anyone else's shit today. Seriously, I'm hanging out with my very good friend Claudio, and I would appreciate if you could go away," Dallas insisted.

Kevin looked frustrated, but he didn't speak. Instead, he got up and walked away, shaking his head as he did so.

"Why the hell is he still bothering you?" Claudio questioned.

Dallas rolled her eyes and shrugged. "No clue. He tried apologizing to me the other day. But I didn't care to hear him out. You'd think he'd get the hint already."

"I'll take care of him, if you need me to."

She smiled. "I appreciate the offer, but I got this."

"It's a standing offer, so if you change your mind at any point, just say the word, and he'll be handled."

Dallas hugged his arm. "Thank you. You're seriously a great friend to me, and I really appreciate it."

"Well, you're a great person, Dal. You don't need to deal with all of this bullshit. You're like a little sister to me. The last thing I want to see is you stressing out. You've had enough go on in your life that you don't need to deal with Steen's bullshit…or anyone else's for that matter. Anyone who gives you a hard time, you just have to give me names. I'll show them why I'm called the Swiss Superman," he assured her with a smile.

"Aw. You've always been on my very short list of favorites."

"I know," he said with a confident smile. "So…you and Tom, huh?"

She shrugged. "We'll see how it goes."

"Do I need to have a talk with him?"

"Not yet," she replied with a chuckle.

"You say the word, and I'll sit him down. I should charge Zach for my services."

"Zach asked about how you're doing."

"When is he coming to visit us?"

"No idea. He's been really busy with work and stuff."

"I bet. Working for the government will do that to you."

"Yup. I keep trying to convince him to come out, but…I dunno."

"He loves you. I'm sure he'll come around when he gets some time," Claudio assured her.

"I know. I just miss him."

"Of course you do."

"It's so weird how things have changed so much, you know? I mean, I never see him anymore," she breathed.

"Yeah. And that's weird after you lived with him for so many years."

She nodded. "Yeah. I mean, if it weren't for him, I wouldn't be wrestling. Hell…I'd probably be dead," she agreed.

Claudio wrapped a sympathetic arm around her. "I know."

"Ugh. It sucks how easy it is for life to get in the way. Ya know?"

"Of course. Time just flies on by, the older we get. And we lose track of so much. But you and Zach are still close."

"I know. I just wish I got to see him more than I do. And I feel like I owe it to him to put in more effort."

"I doubt he feels that way. He did what he did for you because he loves you."

"I know…but still…"

"Cheer up, buttercup," he said, giving her a smile.

"Ah Claudio, you're the best. I'm so happy I get to hang out with you more these days."

"Well, now, we can hang out all of the time again. And you know that whenever you need anything, you can come to me. I'll take care of you."

"Thank you."

"That's what friends are for."

* * *

"Are you gonna have a fun, sex-filled weekend?" Saraya asked, as the two women sat next to each other, on the plane headed for Orlando.

"Maybe. We'll see how it goes," Dallas replied.

A frown crossed the younger Diva's face. "Why don't you seem excited?"

Shrugging, the brunette's eyes fell to her lap. "I dunno. I just have so much on my mind."

"Well, don't stress out. Just breathe. Besides, you'll be with Tom. Even if you don't have a crazy amount of sex with him, he's still cool to hang out with."

"Yeah. I want to sleep with him. Don't get me wrong. I just…my head is just…all messed up right now."

Saraya nodded. "I know you'll be okay."

"I know. I just feel like a zombie."

"Do you want to talk? Or cry? Or something?"

"Nah."

"You know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

"I know"

"You're always so loud and busy pissing people off that it creeps me out when you're quiet like this."

"You don't have to worry about me."

"Yeah right. When you're quiet, it's usually serious."

"Nah. I'm really okay. Just in a mood, I guess."

"You're gonna be at the Performance Center tomorrow, right?"

"Yup. Bright and early."

"What time do you have to be there?"

"Nine, actually. Not too bad."

"No. You're pretty lucky actually."

"What time are you in?"

"Well, eleven…but still."

Dallas let out a laugh. "You're too much sometimes."

"I try. If you don't want to stay with Tom, just tell me, and I'll come get you. And you can hang out with me! Well, me and Kevin…my Kevin, the good one. But mostly me!"

"Well, thank you, sexy lady."

"You got to spend some time with Claudio tonight. That's a good thing, right?"

Dallas nodded. "Of course. And fucking Kevin had to interrupt."

"What the hell did he want?"

"To talk. He and Claudio got into it a little bit. Claudio was ready to kick his ass to defend me."

Saraya laughed. "Good. Did you let him?"

"No. I just kept telling Kevin to go away until he finally did," she replied.

"What the hell is with Kevin trying to talk to you all of a sudden? First, it was like he couldn't get you far enough away from him. And now you can't get him to stay away from you and leave you alone. I don't know what his problem is."

"I know. Fucking pain in my ass. Let me tell ya."

"Are you ever gonna talk to him?"

"At some point, when I'm ready, I will."

"That's good. It might be best to get that closure."

"Yeah…"


	16. Chapter 16

Rolling With the Punches

Chapter 16

Disclaimer: This is fiction. It didn't happen in real life. And I own my OCs (Dallas, Zach), but the recognizable names…I definitely don't own them…sadly. Really, I'd take any of them.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello loves! Long time no see :) I can't seem to help myself and made sure I had access to this chapter so I could update while I'm at work. A huge thank you to my faithful, wonderful reviewers: DeeMarie426 (He's just going to deny it until he has no choice but to acknowledge it...stubborn ass lol and quite frankly, as much as she'd prefer to have feelings for Tom, she can't deny the chemistry she has with Jon.), my anonymous guest (Agreed. She has high hopes...but considering how much tension she has with Jon, she's probably lying to herself, and I'm sure you can imagine how that'll work out), and alibob687 (She's just trying to avoid Kevin lol but she'll have to face up to him at some point lol since you needed a pick me up after work, I figured I might as well update sooner rather than later.). If there are any formatting issues, I do apologize. I'm updating on my cell phone, which is not easy to do lol I hope you all enjoy. Let me know what you think, and I'm gonna have to do some more typing tonight so I have some chapters ready to go ;) Love you guys XoXoXo**

* * *

"Yay!" Saraya declared, as she and Dallas exited the plane. Within moments, she was lifted up in her boyfriend's arms.

"Hey babe!" he greeted, pressing a kiss to her lips.

"Ew. You guys are gross," Dallas teased.

Kevin put Saraya down and pulled the brunette into a hug. "Hey Dal. How are ya?"

"Good. How're you doing?" They pulled back.

"Great, now that I have this beautiful woman back," he replied, wrapping an arm around his girlfriend's shoulders. "You coming with us?"

"Nah," she replied, as a hand fell onto her shoulder. Turning around, she found Tom standing behind her. "Tom! Hi!"

"Hey Dal," he reciprocated, pulling her into a hug.

She wrapped her arms around his torso. Dallas was slightly surprised that she found herself happy to see him. With Tom, there wasn't any pressure. It was a nice change for her. While Dallas had a lot going on in her head, she felt a little of that stress subside, knowing that she wouldn't have to deal with it…at least not for a couple of days.

"Hey man," Kevin greeted Tom. She pulled back from their hug, while Tom said hello to Saraya and Kevin. It gave her a chance to check him out. He had on a plain white t-shirt, a pair of jeans, along with a hat covering his head. He looked absolutely appetizing.

"We look like a group of troublemakers," Saraya commented with a laugh.

"We do," Dallas agreed.

"You checked luggage?" Kevin asked his girlfriend.

"Yeah," she replied.

"Me, too," Dallas said.

The four headed toward the luggage carousel. Tom casually wrapped an arm around Dallas's shoulders. He also took her carry-on bag from her, opting to hold it himself.

"Aren't you a gentleman?" she spoke, a smile curling on her lips.

"My mother wouldn't have it any other way."

They arrived at their destination, the luggage carousel still not moving. He sat on a bench and pulled Dallas into a seated position on one of his legs.

"You look great," he said, giving her a smile.

Dallas glanced down at herself. She had on a pair of denim shorts, along with a Rancid t-shirt. She had on a pair of simple flip flops. Nothing particularly impressive. She let the smile form on her lips. "I dunno about that…but you…you're a sight for sore eyes," she said, blatantly checking him out. His hand resting on her hip gave her a gentle squeeze.

"Oh yeah?"

She nodded, her teeth biting on her lower lip.

"You know, you really make it hard to keep my hands to myself. You're lucky we're in public," he told her, lowering his voice.

"You two look adorable," Saraya teased, walking over to the pair.

"I know we do," Tom replied.

"So, what're you two gonna be doing?" she playfully questioned.

"Well, we have two days of Performance Center bullshit," Dallas replied. "But other than that, I'm sure we'll be able to figure things out." She tried to hide her smirk but failed miserably, as her lips curled up mischievously.

"I bet," Kevin shot with a chuckle.

* * *

Tom and Dallas had said their goodbyes to Saraya and Kevin. The two were heading to his truck in the parking structure. He had her carry-on bag, as well as her suitcase. He insisted on holding them for her.

"What time do you have to be at the Performance Center tomorrow?" Tom questioned her, glancing in her direction.

"Nine."

"Cool. Me, too. Is there anything in particular that you'd like to do after we get out?" he asked her.

"I mean, I wouldn't mind hanging out with you."

He chuckled. "I was shooting for that, you know, with the whole inviting you to stay with me thing."

Dallas smirked. "Fair enough."

"If you think of anything, just say the word. Okay?"

"Okay."

"I'm really happy that you're here," he said.

"So am I."

"To be honest with you, I'm actually nervous," Tom admitted.

She raised an eyebrow. "Why would you be nervous?"

"Because…you're…you. You're hot as hell. You're cool as fuck. Why shouldn't I be nervous?" he rhetorically questioned.

Dallas gave him a look. "It's just me."

"You say that like you aren't a big deal."

"I'm really not."

"Uh huh."

They finally arrived at his Jeep. He unlocked it, opening the back and putting her bags inside. He shut it and made his way over to the passenger's side door and opened it up. He closed it once Dallas was inside. He headed over to the driver's side and got in.

Tom started the truck and began driving. "Your match on Raw was insane," he commented, trying to make conversation.

"Oh. You watched it?"

"Yeah…of course I watched it. The second I knew you had a match, I wasn't gonna miss it," he replied.

Dallas felt her face heat slightly. "Thanks. I have to admit, I thought it was gonna suck, but Nikki was actually pretty good."

"Yeah, but let's be honest here…you're a hell of a lot better than most, if not all, of the Diva's locker room."

"I mean, I wouldn't go that far. Unless we're talking about little Miss Eva Marie," she replied with a chuckle.

He rolled his eyes. "On her best day, she's not even ten percent of where you're at on your worst day."

"Why thank you."

"You two don't get along either, right?" he asked, glancing over at her.

"I don't really get along with a lot of people, to be fair," she pointed out.

"I wouldn't go that far."

"I would. I'm a bitch. I can admit it. I don't have a problem with it either, but yeah."

He laughed. "I don't think you are."

"You clearly just don't know me well enough."

"I think I know enough to know that you're really not that bad."

"Even the people I get along with know I'm a bitch."

"Well, you haven't been a bitch to me."

"Well, that's different. I actually like you."

"You do?"

She nodded. "If I didn't, would I be here with you?"

"True," he agreed

* * *

Jon furrowed his brow. "What the fuck?" he muttered to himself.

"What?" Colby asked.

"Nothing," he quickly shot.

"Who're you trying to call?"

"None of your business."

"Dude," Colby complained. "You don't have to be a dick about it."

"He's getting all pissy because he's probably calling Dallas," Joe spoke up.

"Fuck off," Jon groaned. He didn't want Colby to know what was going on between himself and Dallas. The last thing that he needed was for the WWE's World Heavyweight Gossip Champion to run his mouth about it.

"Why are you calling Dal?"

"Because he wants to fuck her," Joe replied, smirking.

"I thought you two weren't getting along," Colby pointed out, shaking his head, brow furrowed in confusion.

"They don't," Joe continued.

"I doubt she'd be picking up her phone anyway. She's probably in Orlando by now," the Architect casually told him.

"Why's she in Orlando?" Jon questioned, his interest piqued.

"Oh she's uh…well, she told me that she's gotta be at the Performance Center for the next two days…"

"But…?" Jon impatiently shot.

"You're really interested, for someone who can't stand her," Colby retorted.

"Fine. Then, don't fuckin' tell me."

Colby and Joe exchanged a laugh. "She's staying with Tom while she's there," he finally told his friend.

"Uh those two? Why?"

"I dunno. They have a thing, I guess."

"What kind of a thing?"

Colby gave him a look. "I thought you didn't like her. Why do you care so much?" he questioned, accusingly.

"I'm writing a fuckin' book here. Are you gonna answer my question or not?" Jon snapped, losing his patience with his friend.

"From what I know, he really has it bad for her…and apparently, it isn't completely one-sided," Colby responded, his tone reflecting his confusion with Jon's curiosity. "She told me they're just friends, but I doubt that."

"What are you talking about? She's not the kind of person who would date anyone," Jon argued.

"Why do you give a shit? Trust me, I've known Dallas for a hell of a lot longer than you have," Colby shot back.

"He has a crush on her," Joe interjected.

"What the fuck are you even talking about? I don't have a crush on anyone, especially her, so you can shut up over there, peanut gallery," he defensively quipped.

"Who the fuck are you kidding? You've been begging me for as much information as I can give you about this whole Tom/Dallas situation," the youngest of the three men shot back.

"I'm just curious. She can do whoever the hell she wants. I don't give a flying fuck," Jon replied with a shrug.

Colby thought for a moment, before glaring at Jon. "Did you sleep with Dallas?" he questioned him.

"What?! Are you trying to create gossip now?" Jon incredulously asked.

"Did you?"

"No," Jon flatly denied.

"I don't believe you."

"I don't give a fuck."

Colby narrowed his eyes at Jon. "Don't fuck around with her, Jon. She's been through a lot. The last thing she needs is to be used by someone like you. Stay the hell away," Colby spat, venom lacing his words.

"Excuse me? Like I'm some terrible person?"

"You know exactly what I mean."

"No, I don't," Jon replied, stepping up to his friend, getting in his face. "Care to fuckin' explain yourself?"

"Alright. That's enough, both of you," Joe finally spoke up, wedging his way between the two men.

"You think I'm such a scumbag, Col?"

"As a friend? No, of course not. But with the way you are with women? Yeah. We all know how you are."

"Whatever," Jon breathed, clearly pissed off.

"You don't know Dallas the way that I do! You can't treat her like the rest of your throwaways!" Colby yelled.

"Oh yeah? And what are you gonna do about it, Lopez?" Jon snarled.

"I will fucking ruin you!" Colby snapped.

Jon laughed bitterly. "You're really the last person who should be telling me how to treat a woman. I think we all remember how your last relationship ended…with your dick on the internet and a ring thrown at your head. I wouldn't really go around acting like I'm so much better than everyone else, if I were you. You're just as bad as I am. Actually, you're worse. You pretended to give a fuck, while you were banging your Nazi bitch behind your fiancée's back. At least I'm honest about what I'm doing," he retorted, the bitter smirk remaining on his face.

"Oh fuck you!" Colby spat.

"I said enough!" Joe's voice boomed.

"Fuck this shit," Jon muttered, before storming out of the hotel room, slamming the door behind himself.

"Who the fuck is he to judge me?" Jon muttered to himself. "I'll treat Dallas however the fuck I please." He honestly didn't think he was treating her badly or anything. But this whole business with Tom was really frustrating the hell out of him. Hell, this whole business with her ignoring his phone calls because she was with loverboy was really pissing him off. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and tried calling her once again.

"Hey. You've reached Dallas, but I'm obviously busy right now. If you leave a message, I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks!" the all-too familiar voice mail greeting played in his head.

"Fuck," he growled, before ending the call, without leaving a message.


	17. Chapter 17

Rolling With the Punches

Chapter 17

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. It didn't happen in real life.

* * *

 **A/N: This is what happens when you guys give me a bunch of reviews. I was planning on typing up a storm tonight, tomorrow, and Friday. Then, I was planning on updating on Saturday. But you got me all excited, and here we are :) A huge thank you to my peeps: miamitravel (Thanks, boo thang. I'm trying to go for the build. And I promise, I'll make it worth it. Love you), lourdes1694 (He is...uh oh), alibob687 (I'm glad I could help you out, my dear. You do know me quite well. I can't make it easy for any of these poor characters...I'm evil, but I do enjoy it ;) Don't worry, I'll make sure you all get to enjoy the torture), my anonymous guest (I'm glad you loved it. Hopefully, you'll love this one, too.), DenyingTheTruth (Joe and Colby were having a bit of fun with jealous Jon. Fun times. Maybe Tom is genuine...I think you're paranoid about this Tom thing lol but I guess we'll just have to see what happens with him.), and DeeMarie426 (It'll be going down soon enough ;) I promise). You guys are fucking awesome. I have no problem shamelessly begging for reviews, so please leave 'em...let me know what you're thinking. This one is pretty long, and that's what you get for being amazing. Seriously I appreciate every review, favorite, follow, read, etc. Thank you, my loves. Love you lots XoXoXo**

* * *

Tom pulled into his driveway. The pair got out of his truck. He grabbed Dallas's bags out of the back. They headed up to the front door. He unlocked and opened it. Tom motioned for her to go inside first. She did. He followed behind her. Tom put her bags down, before shutting and locking the door behind them.

He turned around, only to find Dallas standing right there. She gave him a small smile. "Hi Tom."

"Hi," he reciprocated.

"Thank you for picking me up and letting me stay with you," she said.

"Of course. Trust me, I'm just happy that you're here," he replied.

Dallas took a step closer to him. She brought her hands onto his waist. "I'm happy that I'm here, too."

"So…um…would you like something to drink?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so nervous.

Slowly shaking her head, Dallas pressed her body against his. "No, thank you, Tom," she breathed.

Tom brought his hands onto her shoulders. "Um…are you hungry?" he asked. He was sure she could feel his heart pounding in his chest.

She gave him a look, a smile playing on her lips flirtatiously. "That's a loaded question…" There was no mistaking that tone. She was hitting on him. "Am I still making you nervous?" He nodded slowly. "Should I stop?"

He shook his head. "Please don't."

A wicked smile spread across her face. "How about we make this a little easier and move it over to the couch?" she suggested, raising an eyebrow.

Tom didn't hesitate in acquiescing to her suggestion, as he began leading her to the large, black leather couch situated in the living room. Dallas kicked her flip flops off, as he kicked his sneakers off. Tom sat down. She sat next to him. He draped his arm around her shoulders. She leaned in towards his body.

"You alright?" she softly asked.

"Yeah."

Dallas smiled and climbed onto his lap, straddling him. His hands ran up her legs and onto her ass. She brought a hand onto his face, cupping it, before finally leaning in and pressing her lips against his. His hands slid up her lower back, resting underneath her shirt. Dallas's other hand found its way onto Tom's other cheek. The kiss quickly intensified. His hat fell off of his head.

"Does Kevin know you're here?" he asked against her mouth.

Dallas let out a laugh. "Not as far as I know," she replied.

"Good."

He laid her down on the couch, his body quickly hovering over hers. Their lips refused to part for more than a couple of seconds.

Tom ran his hand up her shirt, coming to rest on her waist. His lips found their way down to her neck. She let out a moan, her eyes shut. Her hands ran through his hair, before sliding down to his shoulders, then, the top of his back. She grasped the top of his shirt. She began pulling it up, trying to pull it off of him. Tom pulled back, quickly taking it off, and tossing it aside. He leaned back in, his lips finding their way onto the flesh of her neck, while his fingers trailed their way down to the hem of her shirt. He swiftly lifted the garment up and over her head, dropping it to the floor.

Dallas pushed him back and turned them around, so she was on top of him. She leaned in, bringing their lips together for a moment, before she trailed her lips down to his neck and, then, down his chest. Her fingers fumbled with his belt for a few awkward moments, before successfully managing to undo it. Her lips continued traveling down his body, as her hands quickly worked on ridding him of his jeans.

"Wait," Tom breathed, in a moment of clarity.

Dallas looked up at him, her hands halting their mission. "Yeah?"

"Maybe we should wait," he said, hating himself more and more with each word that escaped his lips.

"Wait for what?" She paused, not understanding what was going on, all of a sudden. "Um…did I do something…?" she asked him, confused.

"What? Oh. No. No! I just…it's almost three o'clock, and we have to be at the Performance Center at nine…and I want to be able to take my time with you," he explained. Good guy Tom meant it. However, good guy Tom's painfully hard erection did not.

"Oh…uh…yeah. You're right," she breathed, sitting up straight, as she still straddled him.

Tom brought a hand onto her thigh. "Trust me, it's not that I don't want to. I mean…obviously…" He glanced at the obvious bulge in his jeans. "I promise you…I want to."

She gave him a smile. "I believe you," she said, her fingers gently running over the bulge. His eyes rolled back in his head. She got up off of him and held her hand out to him. He took it and stood up. She grabbed their shirts, as well as her bag. He grabbed her suitcase, as well as her carry-on bag. Tom led them to his bedroom.

"Are you okay with sleeping in here with me? I have another bedroom, if you'd prefer to sleep in it."

"I'm good in here with you," she assured him.

He couldn't hide the smile that pulled at his lips. Tom put her bags down. It then phased him that his belt was open and the button to his jeans was undone.

Dallas noticed, too. She stepped up to him, dropping her bag and their shirts. "What do you wear to bed?" she asked.

"I mean…usually when I'm alone, I stick with boxer briefs. I'll put a pair of shorts on, though. And a shirt."

She smirked. "Well, please, don't do that on my account," she told him.

"Alright…"

"I'll help," she breathed, reaching for his pants and unzipping them. Dallas pushed them down, and he kicked them off. Dallas bit into her bottom lip. "You are seriously a sight to see right now," she breathed.

He raised an eyebrow. "And what do you usually wear to bed?" he questioned.

She shrugged. "Usually, nothing," she matter of factly replied.

Tom's breath hitched in his throat, and it took a minute before he caught his breath again. "I mean, you can sleep…that…w-way, if you'd like to."

Dallas chuckled. "Nah. I'll be a littler classier than that tonight," she replied. "But not that much."

With that, Dallas quickly rid herself of her shorts. She picked Tom's t-shirt up and pulled it off of her head. She expertly pulled her bra off underneath the shirt and dropped it to the floor.

"It's gonna be a long night, isn't it?" he questioned with a groan, as his dick twitched involuntarily in his boxer briefs.

She smiled mischievously and nodded.

* * *

Sexually frustrated and exhausted, both Dallas and Tom managed to get to the Performance Center on time the next morning. She was in the ring, running drills with some of the other Divas, including one of the women she had a difficult time tolerating, the queen of her own world, Natalie Coyle, otherwise known to the rest of the world as Eva Marie.

"Dal, you and Eva lock up," Brian James, also known as Road Dogg, instructed the pair. He didn't typically work in the Performance Center, but he was running their drills today. Dallas was fine with that, aside from how he seemed to be pushing Natalie onto her…something Dallas didn't appreciate in the least. And something Matt Bloom was sure to never do to her.

She rolled her eyes but acquiesced. The two locked up. Natalie's hold was a little limp, but Dallas chose to keep her mouth shut, for the sake of keeping the peace. Besides, she wasn't in the mood to be bitched at quite yet.

"Dal, let Eva pull you into a headlock."

"Sure," she breathed.

The fake redhead Irish-Whipped her into the ropes but caught her way too roughly around the neck. And while it hurt, she was more pissed off at the fact that Natalie had a proud smile on her face, as if she had done something right for once.

Dallas pushed her off of her. "Fuck," she muttered, her hand making its way onto the back of her neck.

"Eva, a little too much whipping when you grabbed her by the neck," Brian spoke. "You need to move in the same direction as her, or else you'll hurt her."

"A little too much?" Dallas quipped with a bitter chuckle. "She could have broken my neck." She was trying to rub the kink out of her neck that was put there by the woman she couldn't stand. The 'All Red Everything' Diva rolled her eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry. I know you think you're too good for all of this. Just because you had private training doesn't mean that you're better than everyone else. It's actually pretty fucking pathetic that you're still a liability and fucking suck. So, please, continue acting like a snotty bitch."

"Dallas, that's enough!" Brian yelled, walking over to the two women.

"She treats it like it's a joke. She already injured Leah the other day. But no, please, keep forcing her down all of our throats and go on about how one day she'll be great…on opposite day," Dallas shot. It was one thing for someone to put the effort in and still suck. But Natalie's attitude was that of an arrogant twat, and Dallas couldn't stand it.

Saraya was outside of the ring, covering her face, trying not to laugh out loud, as were most of the other women. Even Sara Amato was trying her hardest to maintain a straight face. Dallas just wanted some time to talk to Saraya about the night before and not being able to didn't help her sour mood much.

"Dallas!"

"Fine. Fine." She took a deep breath and let it out. "Okay. Would you like me to show you how to pull me into a headlock properly?" she asked, trying to calm down.

"Thank you," Brian breathed.

"Let's start over again. We'll lock up, Irish-Whip me, and we'll do the whole pulling me into a headlock thing step-by-step."

"Fine," Natalie sharply shot.

Dallas chose to ignore the attitude, knowing it would only end up getting her in a lot more trouble, if she punched the Kool-Aid red Diva in the face.

The pair locked up, once again. Natalie Irish-Whipped her into the ropes, and as Dallas came back, she slowed her movements. "What you want to do is bring your arm at the same angle as my neck and not snap into it. You want to move along with me. This way, it'll look like you caught me, but it won't risk breaking my neck. So, you're not necessarily pulling me, but going along with my neck. This way, you won't be hurting me because you're not snapping my neck, you're moving in the same direction. You don't want to do that snapping motion either," Dallas patiently explained, while Natalie followed her directions.

"Alright. Nice. Do it again," Brian directed.

The pair locked up again. Natalie Irish-Whipped Dallas into the roped again, but instead of doing what she was just instructed on how to do, she roughly jerked Dallas's neck again. "Fuck!" the brunette growled. "Jesus, Natalie. I didn't come here to get my goddamn neck broken!" she yelled, pushing away from the woman.

"Ooops," she fakely reacted. "Sorry, Dallas."

"Fuck this shit," the angry brunette spat, before climbing out of the ring and storming off, fed up with the woman.

"Dallas!" Brian called, chasing after her. He caught up to her fairly quickly, near the ring where a couple of the guys where practicing…and of course, Tom was right there.

"What?" she shot, turning around.

"Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Me?! I'm the one in trouble here?! Are you fucking kidding me? That twat almost snapped my neck. Twice. I'm sorry. Would you like to be held responsible for me getting my neck broken because no one wants to tell that fucking bitch that she better hope the WWE starts getting into the porn business because that's all she'd probably be any good at? I'm not getting in the fucking ring with that dipshit again."

"And you think that this is the mature way to react?" he shot back, his voice still raised, hands on his hips.

"Don't give me that bullshit. I tried to be the bigger person and show her how it's done. Instead of listening, she decided to yank on my fucking neck again and snap it. Again. But please, continue lecturing me for being pissed off because that dumbass can't properly catch me in a headlock. If she can't get level one shit, how the hell is she going to manage to ever have a decent match? I'm not an amateur. I've been doing this for ten fucking years, Brian. I know that I'm doing. And I've had some matches with some pretty shitty partners, but no one is as untrainable and as difficult as she is!" Dallas yelled.

"No shit. That's why I keep partnering you up with Natalie. So she can learn from a professional!" he replied. Their voices were still raised, and it wasn't a surprise that everyone's eyes were on the two.

"Learn from a professional? Don't you mean break my neck? Because that's all she's trying to fucking do!" Dallas took a deep breath and let it out, bringing her hands onto her hips and shaking her head in frustration. "Can I just…skip the drills today? I'll just go work out or something? Call me crazy, but I seem to have some irrational problem risking my neck, literally, for someone as useless and worthless as she is."

"Fine. Go," he dismissed her.

With that, Dallas stomped off.

* * *

Jon was in what he considered his own personal hell. Women never ignored him. He was good looking, if he did say so himself. Usually, he couldn't seem to get the women to go away. But not Dallas. He couldn't even force his way into her brain. The fact that he had called her at least fifty times in the last twenty-four hours, and every single one had gone straight to voicemail had left him frustrated and on the verge of flying to Orlando himself.

He had been in a mood since he found out she would be screwing around with Tom while she was there. Jon didn't consider it jealousy. He wasn't looking to date her. But he sure as hell wanted her in his bed. For whatever reason, no one had ever made him feel as good as Dallas did. Maybe it was the fact that they were constantly bickering and going out of their way to piss each other off. Maybe it was the fact that she was hot as hell. Maybe it was the fact that she had no problem ignoring him and making him come to her. Women didn't do that. But Dallas wasn't your run-of-the-mill, easy to read woman.

"You alright, man?" Joe asked, slapping Jon on the back.

"Wha-? Me? I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" he questioned, quickly…too quickly.

Joe rolled his eyes. "Well, you answered my question," he replied, smirking.

"What are you talking about?"

"You've been a nasty motherfucker since Lopez mentioned that Dallas was shacking up with Tom," he replied, pointedly.

"What? No fucking way. I'm just a dickhead. That's all."

"Trust me, I know that. I know you. I know how you work. I also know that last night, you weren't your usual dickhead self. You were one angry son of a bitch…because you're jealous," Joe spoke, his voice calm, though firm.

"You're the lunatic now. I don't give a fuck who the slut does," he defensively spat.

"You should know me better than that by now. I know when you're lying, and right now, my friend, you are lying."

"No, I'm not," he insisted, shaking his head adamantly.

"Yes. You are."

"Why are you being such an asshole? Have I been that much of an influence on you?" Jon asked, cocking his head to the side.

Joe chuckled. "No. You just think I'm an asshole because you don't like hearing the truth, Jonny Boy."

"Same thing," Jon muttered, his eyes refusing to meet his friend's.

"They're not the same thing," he replied, shaking his head, an amused smile on the Samoan's lips. "So, you gonna talk to me about why you're jealous?"

"I'm not jealous. I would just rather she fuck me instead of that fucking shithead."

"That's kind of what being jealous is. You want her. But he has her. And you don't like that," he replied.

"I don't like where you're going with this."

"Of course you don't. But we'll leave it at that. If you don't want her being with anyone else, you should probably tell her."

"Then, she'll think I want to date her or some shit."

"You do," Joe replied with a nod.

"No fucking way. She's a bitch. She's difficult. If she wasn't hot and amazing in bed, I wouldn't have anything to do with her."

"You're in denial."

"No. I'm in reality."

Joe laughed. "I can see where this is going. Fine. If you don't like her as anything more than some chick you bone sometimes, then, you shouldn't care who else she's fucking. In fact, you'd find someone else to fuck when she's not around for you."

"No. I have high standards."

Big brown eyes widened in disbelief. "Who the fuck are you kidding? You have no standards. Dallas is the first chick to come along who isn't some whorish trash bag and was willing to fuck you, Jon. Don't even try to deny it."

"Who the fuck am I kidding? Who the fuck are you kidding? She's probably worse than the rest of them," Jon shot.

The Samoan powerhouse shook his head. "One day, you're going to realize that I'm right, and you're going to hate yourself for it because I'm going to rub your nose in it," he spoke, eyes locked on his best friend.

"Yeah. About that…good luck."

"I don't need luck. We're on that road. And when we park in EatShitVille, you're going to tell me that I was right, and I'm going to gloat like a motherfucker."

"Don't hold your breath," Jon mumbled.

"I could," Joe replied confidently.

* * *

Once the clock read five-thirty, Tom and Dallas were headed back to his house. She was not happy after the events of the day, and it was obvious.

"You okay?" he questioned, after a few minute of silence.

"Yeah…"

"What happened with Brian?"

"Fucking Natalie is a useless twat. She can't even pull someone into a proper fucking headlock. Bitch almost snapped my fucking neck. Twice. She's fucking terrible, but no one wants to tell her because she parades her fake tits all over the place like she's the shit. But I'm wrong for being pissed off, even after I tried to be nice and help her with it. She just doesn't listen…and she doesn't care because she's a cunt," Dallas vented.

"Ah. Her. I don't feel surprised. And he defended her?"

"Of course. She's the redheaded golden child. She's brought redheads to a different level. They used to be shunned," she breathed.

"That's bullshit."

"Thank you!"

"Is your neck alright?"

"Yeah. It hurt when she did it…both times, but it wore off."

"Good…because I was hoping I could take you out to dinner."

For the first time since they had arrived at the Performance Center earlier that morning, a smile found its way onto Dallas's face. "Oh really?"

"Yeah, really," he replied, looking over at her and grinning.

"Do you mean dinner because we need to eat? Or dinner like a date?" she questioned.

Tom thought for a moment. "Would 'both' be an acceptable answer?" he asked her in reply.

"I think I could handle that," she told him.

"Awesome."

Going on an actual date with Tom wouldn't be a terrible thing. After all, she had come to see that he was a really great guy, and he really seemed to enjoy her company, for some mysterious reason. Dallas liked being around him, if she was being honest with herself. He went out of his way to make her feel special. It was nice to have someone put the effort in to make her feel that way. Unlike Jon. He was a dick. He didn't treat her as anything other than a booty call, which was fine with her because….wait. She needed to stop thinking about Jon and get her mind back on Tom. Anyway, it was more than obvious to her that Tom had developed a crush on her. She was okay with that. Hell, maybe, at some point in the future, she could end up actually dating him. Dallas quickly pushed that thought out of her head. As great as he was, she wasn't ready to buckle down and do something like that. Besides, she was much too busy to be committed to a relationship, as well.

Tom pulled into the driveway and parked his truck. The pair got out and headed to the front door. He unlocked it and let Dallas in first, following behind her, before he turned to shut and lock the door.

They headed up to his bedroom. "If you wanna take a shower, you can use the bathroom down the hallway. It's bigger than the one in here," he told her.

"Okay. Thanks."

She went through her suitcase and pulled out her toiletries. Tom handed her a big, white fluffy towel. "Here," he said.

She took it and stood up. "Thanks. I'll be right back," she said, before heading out of his bedroom and down the hallway, to the bathroom.

* * *

Dallas emerged from the bathroom about fifteen minutes later, clad only in the towel. She padded down the hallway to the open door of Tom's bedroom. His bathroom door was shut. She could hear the water to the shower was on. She slipped a pair of underwear on.

Hey eye caught sight of her cell phone, which Dallas realized was still on Airplane Mode and had been since the night before. She grabbed it and shut it off. Within a few seconds, she was alerted of a voice message. She listened to it, bringing the phone to her ear. It was only a couple of seconds, and all she heard was the familiar rasp of Jon's voice muttering 'fuck'. Confused, she deleted the message. How did he even get her number? Dallas had no idea. She replaced the phone in her bag. She dropped the towel and put a bra on.

As she was pulling on a pair of black denim shorts, the bathroom door opened, and Tom walked out, with only a towel around his waist. His eyes were immediately devouring the sight, while her fingers zipped and buttoned her shorts.

"You know, if you always only had a towel around your waist, I'd probably have a very hard time keeping my hands to myself," Dallas spoke, smirking.

He had a shit-eating grin on his face, as he stepped up to her. "You know, if you never had a shirt on, I'd have the same problem." He paused. "Actually, who'm I kidding? Even when you have a shirt on, I still have a hard time keeping my hands to myself."

"You're really lucky that I'm hungry because I'd be pulling that towel right off of you," she said, as he wrapped his arms around her. She rested her hands on his torso.

Tom leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips, before letting go of her and heading for his dresser. She smirked and pulled a gray, form-fitting tank top out of her suitcase and slipped it on over her head. She grabbed her makeup bag and applied some eyeliner, mascara, and foundation to her face. She brushed her hair out and was ready to go.

Tom stepped up behind her, fully dressed. He placed his hands on her shoulders, looking at her through the mirror. "Ready, beautiful?" he asked. She smiled at him.

"Yup."

Dallas turned around and check him out. He had on a pair of gray cargo shorts and a white t-shirt. His hair was in a low manbun. His hands fell to her back.

"You're looking pretty sexy," she purred, bringing her arms around him.

"You're beautiful," he replied.

"You're sweet."

"Nope. Just honest."

Dallas smiled. "Wanna go?"

"Yeah. Let's get some food."


	18. Chapter 18

Rolling With the Punches

Chapter 18

Disclaimer: It's fiction. That's really all there is to say. None of this has actually happened, so please don't blame the real life people behind the characters for their actions. I made them do it all. So blame me.

* * *

 **A/N: How am I so lucky to have the world's most awesome readers? I'm kind of a bitch, so I'm no sure how I have such great karma. A huge thank you to my wonderful reviewers: DenyingTheTruth (Yes, even I'm #TeamDean, but you know, I can't make it easy lol It does sound like something that twat would do. I'm not a fan. I almost was back in the day, but then, she spoke, and it was over lol), alibob687 (I saw her at the NXT Takeover Brooklyn show back in August, and everyone there was booing the hell out of her...not like "oh you're heel, we don't like you" but more like "you have no business being in a ring because you're god awful", ugh. She's seriously the worst. That's true. I do bring cupcakes. That's the bright side...of the dark side lol hope this helps pick you back up...though I'll warn you, this is some Tom stuff, but I promise, it'll get better), and nafiondf aof (There are a lot of chapters that have yet to be posted, so, anything's possible). Hope you guys enjoy this, even my Team Dean peoples. I'll probably be updating again tomorrow, if I get a couple of reviews lol so let me know what you think, so we can move forward ;) Love you guys! XoXoXo**

* * *

Dallas and Tom returned to his house, having had a nice dinner. The conversation had flowed easily. It was fun. She couldn't remember the last time she had been on a date. But this had to be a great one. She found that she genuinely enjoyed being out with Tom.

They had made it in the door, the pair laughing over a story he had told her a few moments earlier. He shut and locked it, once they were inside.

"You know, you're a lot of fun to hang out with," he told her.

"Oh yeah? Did you think I wouldn't be?" she asked.

"I mean, I figured you'd be fun. But…I dunno. You're a lot different than the other women I've gone out with," he admitted.

"So, you're just adding me to the list?" she teasingly questioned him.

Tom stood in front of her and gently tucked her hair behind her ear. "I don't think that'd be fair. You'd have to get your own list."

"Oh yeah? And why is that?"

"You're too good for me. You're perfect," he told her, his voice soft.

"Trust me, I'm as far from perfect as you can get. You're the one who's too good for me," she replied, her eyes dropping to the floor.

Tom gently lifted her chin. Their eyes met. "Dal, you're incredible."

Dallas brought a hand onto his waist. "Tom, you really don't know that much about me. Trust me, I'm bad news," she insisted.

He slowly shook his head. "Maybe you just weren't treated properly. Maybe you didn't hear how amazing you are. But I know more than enough to know that I'm right about you," he said, his tone sincere.

"Tom…"

"Please don't fight me on it," he said.

Dallas remained silent, her brown eyes locking on his. He bent down, bringing his lips onto hers. Her arms wrapped around him, as he lifted her up. His hands rested on her rear, as her legs wrapped around his waist. Their kiss was passionate. The pair had been craving each other for long enough. Dallas's tongue ran across his lower lip, eliciting a moan to escape him.

Tom navigated his way up the stairs to his bedroom. He brought her in, her hands on his face, while their tongues dueled for dominance. Sitting on the edge of his bed, her legs still around him. She repositioned herself so that she was straddling him. Impatiently, Dallas began pulling his shirt off. She managed to remove it, in her haste, and dropped it to the floor. She gently pushed his upper body back, so he was laying down.

Overwhelmingly turned on, Tom couldn't remember ever wanting someone as badly as he wanted the woman on top of him. It may have had something to do with having been pining over her since the first day that he had seen her at NXT. But to finally be this way with her was a fantasy he wasn't ever sure would come true.

Trailing kissed down Tom's neck and chest, Dallas's fingers clumsily fumbled with his belt. She was overwhelmed with lust and found it difficult to focus at the task at hand. Finally, she managed to get the belt undone. Her fingers immediately focused on unbuttoning and unzipping his shorts, while her lips hungrily pressed kisses to the surface of his abdomen.

Dallas began pushing his shorts down. They fell to the floor with a thud, as his keys, wallet, and cell phone were still in his pockets. She crawled back up his body, bringing their lips back together. His arms held her body affectionately against his. Tom had wanted this for months. He was all too happy to take his time with Dallas.

With one of her hands resting on the bed, next to Tom's head, the other cupped his cheek. He gently squeezed her body against his, as they continued making out. He sat up, their lips not parting, his arms not leaving her.

"You know, it's really not fair that you've got me almost naked here, while you're still completely dressed," he spoke against her mouth.

Dallas smiled. "I'm not stopping you from doing anything," she replied, a flirty tone lacing her words.

"In that case…" Tom's hands quickly removed Dallas's tank top, dropping it with his clothes onto the floor. His lips managed to attach themselves to her cleavage, still encased in her bra. She pulled away from him and stood up. Tom sat there, a lewd bulge protruding from his boxer briefs. Her eyes focused on it for a moment, while she absentmindedly licked her lips. He smirked, knowing exactly where her eyes were directed.

Refocusing, Dallas began undoing her shorts. She pushed them over her hips and let them fall to the carpeted floor. She stepped up to Tom and brought their lips back together. She brought her hands onto the waistband of the sole garment left on his body. He helped her get them off.

Dallas's eyes quickly latched onto the large erection bobbing in front of her. "Oh my God," she breathed. She stared in awe. It definitely had to be the biggest one she had ever seen in person, much less had inside of her.

"I…uh…" He blushed slightly.

"That is massive," she whispered.

"You don't have to do anything, if you don't want to," he offered, sheepishly.

She smirked at him. "Oh trust me, I want to," she assured him. She brought her hand onto the throbbing length. Never had a penis made her hand seem so tiny. Dallas wrapped her fingers around it. His eyes fell shut, already overwhelmed with excitement.

Slowly beginning to stroke him, Dallas's eyes came to rest on his face. Lips slightly parted, eyes tightly shut, Tom seemed to be enjoying the contact they had. Smirking, she wanted to enjoy herself as much as she possibly could, especially after having had a fairly shitty day at the Performance Center. This would be the perfect pick-me-up. Dallas let go of his length and pushed him back down onto the bed, again.

"Lay down," she directed him.

Tom acquiesced, repositioning himself on the bed, with his head on the pillows. She hovered over his body, placing a gentle kiss to his lips, before moving back down his body again. She knelt between his legs, as she began running her hand up and down his impressive length.

Tom's eyes were only half-open, as he was feeling himself drift into another level of pleasure. Smirking to herself, Dallas bent her head down and flickered her tongue over head of his cock. His eyes shot open, as a groan escaped his lips. She brought her lips around the bulbous head and began sliding her mouth over the steel pole.

"Holy fuck, Dal…" he moaned, gently tangling his fingers in her brunette locks.

She pulled off of him. "Is it okay?" she asked, feigning innocence.

"It's fucking amazing," he panted, locking his eyes with hers, before she broke their eyes contact and resumed her previous actions. She continued running her lips up and down the shaft, coating the girthy flesh in her saliva.

'Eat your heart out, Mox,' she thought to herself. Then, it hit her. Why the hell was she thinking about him, while she was blowing Tom? That couldn't be a good sign of things to come. She pushed all thoughts of the pain in her ass out of her mind.

As Tom felt himself approaching his release, he carefully pulled her up and flipped them around. Tom quickly grabbed onto her underwear, pulling the lacy garment down her legs and tossing them aside. He pressed kisses to her thighs, trailing his lips over her flesh, before bringing his mouth onto her core.

Dallas arched her back and let out a gasp. His tongue began expertly swirling inside of her dripping sex. Her hands grasped the comforter on top of the bed. Moans and four-lettered words began mindlessly escaping her lips.

"Ah fuck, Tom," she breathed. "I need you. Now."

He looked up at her, a wicked grin on his face. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He leaned over the side of the bed, reaching for the night table. He opened the top drawer, pulling out a condom, before shutting it. Tom reclaimed his spot between her legs.

Tom's eyes gazed at her with a fiery lust. Hers returned the same sentiment. He opened the foil packet, using his teeth. He pulled the latex protection out of it, tossing the wrapper over his shoulder, not particularly caring where it landed. He quickly rolled it onto his length. Hovering over Dallas, Tom pressed a kiss to her lips. "You're cool with this?"

She smiled. "Cool with it? I need it," she assured him.

His hand grabbed onto his painfully hard erection. He began rubbing the head of his condom-covered dick against her slit. Dallas brought a hand onto his shoulder, the other on his bicep. He slipped the head into her. The pair let out matching groans. Tom slowly began pushing more of his length into her.

"You're so fuckin' big," she moaned.

He chuckled. "Maybe you're just really tight," he replied.

She smirked. Tom had half of his dick inside of her, before he slowly pulled out, before pushing back inside of her. He continued doing this, while Dallas was writhing beneath him. Yet for some reason, she couldn't help but think that this was nothing like it was with Jon. She wasn't sure what it was, but there was something nagging at her brain…not to mention, she still had that schmuck who had been pissing her off incessantly in her head.

"You okay?" Tom questioned, his eyes showing concern.

Dallas quickly banished all thoughts of that bastard and refocused on the man on top of her…inside of her. A smile pulled at her lips, while her teeth bit down on her lower lip. She nodded in response.

"Should I move faster? Or…?"

"Please," she pleaded.

Tom's movements began picking up speed. He thrust in and out of her with one hand holding his body up, the other on her hip. "Fuck, Dal," he hissed, as he bottomed out in her. She pulled his head down, bringing their lips together again, in a sloppy, lustful kiss. He buried his head in the crook of his neck. She brought her hand that had been on his shoulder onto his back, resting on his shoulder blade, the other one that had been on his arm, finding its way onto his head, her fingers curling in his hair, which was now falling out of his manbun. She wrapped her legs around his waist.

"You feel so good," she purred.

"I've never felt so fuckin' good," he groaned, as he continued his assault on her core.

Tom scooped her up and turned them around, so she was on top of him. Her hands rested on his abdomen. She began picking up the pace, as she rolled her hips on top of him. Tom's hands grasped her hips.

"You're so fuckin' sexy," she mewled, her eyes drinking in the sight of the tattooed body beneath her.

"Me? Trust me, babe, you're the sexy one," he breathed. His grasp on her hips was a little rough, but she enjoyed it. She enjoyed being manhandled a bit. Quite frankly, the size of his dick alone could fit into that 'manhandling' category. The thing was huge.

Tom sat up, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her into a passionate kiss, while she continued bouncing on top of him. He brought his thumb onto her clit and began gently rubbing her, wanting her to find a release during their romp.

"Fuck," she moaned into his mouth.

"You've already got me wanting to cum," he told her.

"I'm so close, Tom." His movements on her core increased in speed. Her arms tightened around him, as her body trembled. Her forehead rested in the crook of his neck.

"Cum for me, Dal," he spoke, his thumb applying more pressure to her most sensitive area, setting off her orgasm. Her folds tightened around his throbbing length, causing his eyes to roll back in his head. He released into the condom, harder than he had cum in at least the last couple of years. He couldn't remember feeling this way in quite a long time. The pair remained wrapped in each other's arms. Tom laid back down on the bed, bringing Dallas with him.

The two caught their breath, before Tom leaned in, kissing her lips affectionately. "That was amazing," he breathed, once they pulled apart.

She nodded slowly, a blissful smile on her lips, though her mind was somewhere she didn't want it to be. And the moment Dallas saw that son of a bitch again, she was determined to punch Jon in the face for getting into her head and haunting her thoughts. She couldn't even enjoy sex with Tom because she couldn't get that lunatic out of her head.


	19. Chapter 19

Rolling With the Punches

Chapter 19

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. It didn't really happen.

* * *

 **A/N: It's been a while, hasn't it? :) I said I'd update today, and I won't let my faves down. A thank you to: Straight Edge Queen (Thank you so much :) I really appreciate it, and I'm glad you love it!) and alibob687 (I'm so upset over Rollins. Ugh. He's so great, and he's such a great dickhead. When I found out, I was in disbelief. Then, I was just moping over it. It screws everything up now. Poor guy. Dallas doesn't even know what's going on in her own head. She's trying to keep everyone out of her heart...and her head...but it isn't working...especially when she's thinking of Jon while banging Tom. Awkward. But soon enough, Dallas will be back on the road...with Jon...hmmm...). I may update tomorrow. I've spent most of the day in bed. If it isn't enough that I was just diagnosed with this whole Diabetes thing, I was also just diagnosed, this week, with cluster headaches, which are the worst headaches of my entire life, and the medicine that makes them go away knocks me completely out. So, I've been a lazy shit all day...mostly sleeping and watching Judge Judy. But I've also managed to get a few more chapters typed up (just finished typing up 23), so I have reserves :) You should be getting frequent updates again this week :) Let me know where your heads are at with this craziness. Love you guys XoXoXo**

* * *

Tom woke up first, his arms around Dallas, who was cuddled up against his chest. He smiled down at her. He knew that she had initially told him that she had no interest in being in a relationship. He was also well aware that he had agreed with those terms. But he was hopeful that she might change her mind. They had a lot of fun together. They seemed to click. At least, it all clicked for him, and he felt like they had something brewing.

"Good morning," her voice spoke. Her big brown eyes caught his own.

"Good morning, beautiful," he greeted her. "How'd you sleep?"

"Great. Someone wore me out last night," she teased, stretching her body out a bit.

"Oh yeah?" he questioned with a chuckle.

She nodded. "Yup. What time is it?"

"Seven-thirty," he replied.

"Ugh. I don't wanna go. I'd rather stay in here," she groaned.

"I'm with you on that one," he agreed.

Dallas could see it in his eyes, clear as day. Tom went ahead and caught feelings for her. She thought it was incredibly sweet. He was a great guy. He treated her like she was special. If she wasn't go completely fucked in the head, Dallas truly believed that he was the kind of guy she would give a legitimate chance to. But she knew that she couldn't do that. Everything seemed all perfect now. Sure. That shit didn't last, though. It never did. Dallas refused to allow herself to forget that fact, even when she wanted to believe in the best case scenario. Maybe there were people that things worked out for, but she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she was not one of those lucky people. And she never would be.

The brunette groaned and sat up, holding the sheet over her chest. "I should probably get my ass in the shower," she breathed, suddenly feeling nervous. It wasn't like she didn't like him. She definitely did. This was just going to get all fucked up, and she knew it with one hundred percent certainty. That was the last thing that Dallas wanted.

Tom curled his arm around her waist and pulled her body back down onto the bed. "Just five more minutes," he begged her, nuzzling his face in her neck affectionately.

Dallas smiled. She liked how he made her feel. "Alright. Five more minutes," she agreed. He pulled her nude body against his. She wrapped her arms around him.

"You're just…perfect. Has anyone ever told you that?" he questioned.

"You may have mentioned it before," she joked.

Tom smiled at her. "Well, it's because it's the truth." He pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder. "Fuck. I wish they kept you in NXT."

"Oh yeah? Why's that?"

"Because it'd be a hell of a lot easier to do this without you having to fly out to see me. You'd be here. I'd be here. You know…"

She smiled. "Aw. Trust me, with all of the bullshit that I have to deal with on the road, I'm starting to think NXT would've been a much better option for me."

"If they keep giving you a hard time, I may have to show up there and put them in their place," he said, cupping her face in his hand.

"That's alright. I can handle them. Every single one of those dickheads."

"I bet. I've found myself a bad ass," he teased.

"Well, you know me, I uh…do what I gotta do."

* * *

"Dude, what is going on with you two?" Matt Polinski questioned Tom at the Performance Center, later that day.

A smile involuntarily pulled across his face. "What do you mean?" he replied, trying to play it off.

"Oh come on. Don't give me that bullshit. She's staying over your place. You've got it bad for her. So…what's going on?"

Tom shrugged. "I dunno. I like her. I like having her around," he told him. "Other than that, I don't know. She's leaving tomorrow morning."

"And then what?"

"I don't know," Tom insisted. "I guess we'll just have to see."

"Did you fuck her?"

"Mind your business."

"Oh come on."

"Seriously."

"I'm just asking. You might as well tell me. You know damn well that she's gonna tell Raya everything when she sees her," Matt pointed out.

"Fine. Yes. We did it last night."

"And how was it?"

"Well…the ring isn't the only place where she's skilled. I'll tell you that much," he breathed, trying to keep thoughts of the night before out of his head, so as not to end up walking around the Performance Center with an obvious boner.

"Sweet. So, what's the plan for tonight?"

Tom shrugged. "I dunno. I didn't really plan anything," he replied.

"Do you think you two are gonna be official or something?"

"What the fuck is with the questions, man?"

"I'm just curious. I don't deal with any of that stuff anymore. I'm a married man. There's no gossip in marriage."

"Ugh. Well, stop already. I don't want to talk about it because I really, really like her. But I don't want to jinx anything before we go anywhere. She's already very iffy about relationships because of the bullshit with Steen. So, I don't know what she's thinking about that. All I know is that I really like her, and I want to keep spending time with her…whenever I can, and we'll just have to wait and see where it goes from there. Okay?"

"Fine. Fine," Matt relented.

* * *

"You seem to be in a much better mood today," Brian commented.

Dallas shrugged. "I guess."

"Does it have anything to do with Tom? Because I couldn't help but notice that he's walked by at least fifteen times, smiling at you."

She raised an eyebrow. "You noticed that, too, huh?"

"Listen, Dal, your personal life is yours, and I know that it's none of my business what you choose to do in your free time. But just…be careful. I don't want any of these guys taking advantage of you."

"Trust me, I'm not the one you have to be worrying about," she breathed, taking a drink of her water.

"I'd much rather you hurt one of them than to have one of them hurt you."

She gave him a confused look. "I make your job at last fifty times harder…and that's one a good day. Why would you care?"

"Because I like you. I love the fire inside of you. Plus, I have two daughters. I have a soft spot for you. You're not a bad person. A pain in my ass? Absolutely, as often as you can possibly be. But that doesn't mean that I don't like you."

"Well, thank you. I like you, too, Brian."

He gave her a pat on the shoulder. "Now that we've gotten that out of the way, I'm gonna partner you up with Pam today. I think you two can show the rest of them how to get shit done in the ring."

Her face lit up with a huge smile from hearing that. "Finally! A competent partner! You really must like me!"

He chuckled. "Well, between you and me, I'm even irritated with Natalie," he admitted, shaking his head.

"Ah ha! I knew it!"

"Everyone is fed up with her. She's cocky and doesn't listen."

"My point exactly!"

"You better make me proud in there," he warned her.

"I will. I always do."

* * *

"Ready to go?" Tom asked a freshly showered Dallas.

"Yup," she replied with a smile.

He swung an arm around her shoulders and led her out of the Performance Center, with all eyes following the pair. She knew that word about them was going to spread like wildfire. They got into his truck, and Tom began heading back to his house.

"Did things go better today?" he asked her.

"Yeah. Brian and I managed to have a nice chat today about some things," she replied with a nod. "Although he did ask if my improved attitude had anything to do with you walking by a bunch of times, smiling at me."

"No, he didn't."

She laughed. "I swear, he did."

"Was I that obvious?"

"Yeah, you totally were," she replied.

"I should probably work on that, huh?"

"Probably."

He gave her a smile, before bringing his hand onto her thigh. It wasn't a sexual gesture but an affectionate one. Quite frankly, Dallas would have preferred it to be sexual. The last thing that she needed was to have Tom become emotionally attached to her. That was going much further than she wanted it to. She didn't need to add an emotionally attached suitor to her complicated situation that included her dickhead ex-boyfriend and her douchebag enemy that she screwed on a plane…and in her house…multiple times.

Dallas's life was already too complicated for another guy issue to be thrown on top of the pile. While a part of her really wanted to enjoy the rest of her time with Tom, the other part was concerned as to how it would all play out.

When he finally pulled into his driveway, the pair got out of the truck and headed inside of the house. "So…uh…is there anything that you wanna do anything tonight? Or do you wanna stay in?" he asked her.

Dallas gave him a smile. "I'm good with staying in tonight, if you are. I'm already exhausted," she told him.

"Cool. We can order in and watch a movie or something."

"Sounds good to me."

The pair sat on the couch. She kicked her flip flops off. Tom wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She cuddled up next to him. Dallas knew that it was a terrible idea, but she enjoyed these moments where she felt like she was special and mattered. She rested her hand on his t-shirt covered abdomen.

"It sucks that you have to leave in the morning," he breathed.

"Yeah. I've had a lot of fun hanging out with you," she replied. That was true. She actually meant that.

"I hope we can do this again."

She looked up at him and smiled. "I'd like that."

Tom pulled her across his lap, his arms loosely, though affectionately holding her. "I'm really happy that things have been so…great with us."

"Yeah…it sucks that I'm always on the road," she spoke. Quite frankly, she wanted to make it clear to him that a relationship was out of the question but subtly because she didn't want to be a complete bitch to him. He was a good guy…a really good guy…nothing like the bad guy he came off as to most people. It was a nice change of pace for her, especially considering who else she was dealing with.

"Yeah…well, maybe one of these days I'll get bumped up to the main roster, and we'll be on the road together."

"That's true," she replied.

There was a tense silence between the two. That is, until Tom decided to break it. "Listen, I know you're leaving in the morning and all, and I know you have a crazy schedule, but I really like you, Dal."

Fuck. Now, she was really uncomfortable. "Tom, you're awesome. And I like you, too. I'm just…I'm never around. And I don't do relationships…or commitments of any kind, for that matter," she said.

He nodded. "I know…"

She could sense his disappointment. "I'm not trying to be a bitch to you or anything. I warned you that I don't do any of that kind of stuff. I'm just damaged goods, and I can't handle emotional things. It really isn't you at all. I promise…you…you're…you're…wonderful. I've had such a great time with you. I just don't want you to…get the wrong idea about me. I'm shit at being….a girlfriend…or anything like that. It's not something I'm gonna anytime soon."

Tom frowned but nodded. "I figured. But…I figured there was no harm in being honest with you."

"And I appreciate you telling me the truth." That was a lie. She did not appreciate his honesty. It put her in this incredibly awkward position of letting him down. "I'm really sorry if I ruined our night with my big mouth."

He smiled. "Don't apologize. You didn't ruin anything."

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes." He pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose, eliciting a giggle from her. A giggle that made her want to punch herself in the face. She hated when she acted like that. A fucking giggle? What the hell was this? High school?

"Would you prefer if I didn't kiss you…or sleep with you?" she asked. "I don't want to make things more difficult than they already are."

"You can, Dal. I'll be fine. I promise. I'm a big boy," he assured her.

"Okay. But if you change your mind, just tell me."

"I will."

With that, Tom leaned in, planting his lips on hers. She brought her hand to the back of his head, holding his lips to hers.


	20. Chapter 20

Rolling With the Punches

Chapter 20

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Please do not blame the real people behind these characters for what I made them do. It's not their faults that I'm crazy.

* * *

 **A/N: My loves! Hello again! I want to say thank you to: Straight Edge Queen (You are awesome :) And we'll have a lot more Jon coming up in the very near future ;) Thanks!) and alibob687 (Personally, I've always preferred the bad guys, which is why Rollins has worked out so well lol And not to give it away, but there is some Jon in this chapter...just not quite with Dallas yet *coughnextchaptercough* and they're going to cause problems, as always. I don't know why you're so against Tom lol I've done nothing but make him a nice guy who she's not interested in lol but maybe he'll end up being a douche at some point...who knows... ;) Cluster headaches are the devil. They're these headaches that occur around the same time every day and feel like an ice pick in your temple. Makes my eye and ear hurt, too. It's terrible. Ugh. I'm definitely getting a lot of value out of my health insurance now lol you're my fave. You have been for like...I don't even know how long, but it's been a long time.). I promise, the fun and exciting stuff is approaching. Shit is going down. We're going to find out about Dallas's past in the upcoming chapters. We're going to watch shit go down. It's gonna be fun. I promise. At least, I'm enjoying writing it :) Let me know what you're all thinking. The boyfriend has made me dinner, so I'm going to go stuff my face. Love you guys XoXoXo**

* * *

The next morning meant that it was time for Dallas to leave Orlando and meet back up with everyone on the road. It also meant she would finally be able to catch up with Saraya. She needed some girl time with her best friend, especially with what was running through her head, as it pertained to the Tom situation. She needed to figure out what she was going to do because it was getting to be a little much, juggling these guys was beginning to be a hassle.

Truth be told, she wasn't really interested in getting emotionally involved with Tom...mostly because she tried, and it just wasn't working out for her. Dallas knew that she was going to have to let him down at some point, but she felt bad doing so the night before...her last night in Orlando. She definitely liked him. He was a great guy...a lot different from the ones she had been involved with before...Kevin. But she didn't really have the same feelings for him that he had for her. She wasn't intending on leading him on, especially with the last couple of days that they had spent together. He was wonderful, but she was only finding that she didn't get the butterflies that came with finding an emotional attachment to someone.

To be honest, Dallas was feeling sad about leaving. If circumstances were different, she was sure that she would have real feelings for him. It just wasn't in the cards for her at the moment...with him.

The pair was sitting at the gate. "You know, I had a lot of fun with you. It was nice having you at the house," he told her.

Dallas smiled. "Trust me, I really liked spending time with you. It was a nice to hang out with a guy and not have to deal with all of the douchebaggery that I'm usually surrounded by," she replied with a lighthearted chuckle.

"I hope we can do this again, the next time you come down."

"Yeah. Me, too. You're a really great guy," she said.

He gave her a small smile. "Thanks."

Dallas could sense some disappointment on his end. She felt badly. The last thing that she ever wanted to do was hurt him. She brought a hand onto his face and gave him a grin. She leaned in and pressed her lips to his for a brief moment. That seemed to cheer him up slightly. He brought a hand onto her leg.

"I didn't think I'd end up liking you so much," he admitted. "I mean...that really sounds like such a dick thing to say. I knew I'd like you. I've liked you. I just didn't think I'd be so crazy about you the way that I am."

"Well, at some point, maybe things could change in the future," she spoke, not believing that the words were escaping her lips. She knew that it was the wrong thing to say. It gave him false hope. That wasn't what she was trying to do. She knew damn well that she wasn't going to change and neither would her feelings on the subject. She wished that things could have been different because she had a feeling that being with Tom would be nothing less than incredible. She couldn't imagine that he would be anything but an amazing boyfriend.

Tom raised an eyebrow. She could see how hopeful he suddenly looked. The last thing she wanted to do was let him down. "Yeah?" he asked.

Dallas shrugged. "Anything can happen. I like you, Tom. I really do. I'm just...I'm a headcase. I'm not good with these types of things. But I do like you. I had a lot of fun hanging out with you. You're so awesome. Trust me, I feel like the world's biggest dumbass not just snatching you up and keeping you all to myself."

He chuckled. "Well, the offer is on the table whenever you want to take it."

A smile pulled at her lips. "You're wonderful. Seriously."

"I'm not that great. I just...I dunno...I want to be with you."

Tom slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her onto his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck. Tom pulled her in for a hug. Dallas actually thought for a moment that there was a chance that things between them had the slightest chance of working out. But she quickly pushed the thought out of her head.

"I'm gonna miss you, Dal," he spoke, his lips against her neck.

She pulled back from the hug. "I'll miss you, too."

"Hey you two lovebirds," Saraya's teasing voice interrupted the pair. They turned to see their friend sit next to them.

"Hey Ray," Dallas greeted.

"Hey," Tom breathed.

"Am I interrupting anything?" she asked in a playful voice, knowing full well that she was.

"No, we were just chatting," Dallas replied. Truth be told, she was relieved to see her friend and appreciated the interruption. Things were just getting too fuzzy with Tom. She needed the space that her best friend brought.

"How was your whole...date-type thing?"

"I had a great time," Tom replied.

"Me, too."

"You two are looking pretty adorable together," she commented.

"Thanks," the pair replied.

"Flight seventy-nine to Houston, Texas is now boarding," the voice over the loudspeaker announced.

"That's us!" Saraya said, popping up out of her seat.

Dallas got up off of Tom's lap, grabbing her bag, as well as her carry-on. Tom pulled her in for a lingering hug. Then, he bent down and captured her lips with his for a brief moment, before pulling back.

"Text me when you land," he told her.

She smiled. "Okay. Thank you for everything."

"No need to thank me."

"I'll see you."

"Bye, beautiful."

"Bye, handsome."

Saraya and Tom exchanged a quick goodbye. Then, the two women boarded their flight. They had gotten seats next to each other, meaning they would have plenty of time to catch up with each other on the nearly two hour flight. And Dallas really need to talk to her friend, after having spent the last two days with Tom.

Dallas and Saraya quickly got settled in their seats. But before Dallas even had a chance to relax, Saraya was itching to find out what happened.

"How was it?"

A smile pulled at the corners of the brunette's lips. "It was nice."

"Nice? I waited all of this time for you to tell me that it was nice? Come on, you know it was more than just nice."

"He's great. He really is."

"I sense a 'but' coming on…"

"Not a 'but'...well, maybe a 'but'."

"So…?"

"I like him. A lot. He's seriously such a great guy. But…you know I can't date him like that."

"And why not? He obviously really likes you. You like him. How was the sex? Was he able to perform brain surgery with his dick?"

Dallas laughed. "Pretty much. It was...great."

"You're saying everything is 'great'. Tom is great. The sex is great. You're not giving me very much to work with here. How was he compared to Jon?"

She thought for a moment. "I dunno. It was just...different, ya know? Tom was really sweet and all. Mox...he just…" She smiled to herself thinking about being with the bastard. It made her hate herself just a little bit. "It feels like Mox and I are just on the same page when it comes to that kind of stuff. We like it hard and...I don't even know…"

"Is Tom bigger than Jon?"

Dallas nodded. "Yeah...but…"

Saraya smirked at her friend. "You just like it with Jon better, don't you?"

Blushing, the shorter woman shrugged. "I dunno. It was just very different," she replied, not knowing how to explain how she felt.

"So, why don't you give Jonny Boy a call when we get back?"

"About him. I dunno. It was really weird. I guess I left my phone on Airplane Mode for the entire day Wednesday, and when I shut it off, I had a voice message…"

"Oh?"

"It was definitely Mox's voice. It was just him saying 'fuck' and ending the call or whatever," she told her friend.

"Oh...hmmm...that's really interesting." She paused, thinking for a moment. "Did he know you were staying at Tom's?"

"I don't know. I didn't tell him anything."

"Hmmm...maybe Jon has a little crush on our girl here," she teased, wrapping an arm around her friend's shoulders.

Dallas shook her head adamantly. "Definitely not. He probably didn't even meant to call me. I dunno."

"I didn't know you gave him your number."

"I didn't."

"So, how'd he get it?" Saraya questioned.

"I have no idea."

The raven-haired, former Diva's Champion laughed. "You're an idiot, if you don't believe he has a crush on you. Jon obviously has a massive boner for you. I mean, he's constantly showing up wherever you are, needs to make his presence known, and if that wasn't enough, he showed up at your house, uninvited, after you slept with him. Then, he came back over after that and didn't disappear while you were asleep. Face it, Dal, you have him hooked on you, too. Not to mention, there's still Kevin. Jeeze. You've got three guys after you? You're the popular one."

Dallas rolled her eyes. "Tom is the only one who likes me. Steen is just trying to ruin my life because he's a douche, and Mox is just trying to ruin my life AND get in my pants, at the same time."

"I think you're being a little too quick to write off how Jon feels," Saraya said, pressing her lips together.

"I think you're just enjoying yourself too much with this stuff."

"I'm serious. And I know you like Tom, but I really think that you and Jon have something going on. There's a reason you're not feeling it with Tom. And that reason is Jon."

Dallas furrowed her brow. "You must be out of your mind. It I was going to date anyone, it'd be Tom. And even if Tom wasn't in the picture, I still wouldn't date Mox...or even entertain the idea of dating him. He's a dickhead...and that's being nice about it."

"I dunno. The chemistry between you two is there. Everyone who ends up around the two of you can feel it. Ask Mercedes. She'll back me up."

"You're crazy, Ray," Dallas breathed, shaking her head.

"Sure. Deny it all you want. One of these days, you'll see that I'm right. And I am going to rub your face in it."

"Okay," Dallas said, brushing her friend off. "Anyway, onto more pleasant topics, how's your Kevin?"

Saraya grinned. "He's wonderful, as usual. I'm so lucky that I have such an amazing boyfriend," she gushed.

"It must be nice."

"Oh come on, you have a chance to stop the bullshit and be in a relationship with one of many men. You just choose not to because you're all hung up on this being damaged and not being able to be in a relationship thing."

"I really can't handle it. Now, stop turning it around to be about me."

"Well, I'm not the one that needs to help with her love life. Mine is great. There's no drama. I have the best man ever."

"You're really sticking with this whole thing, aren't you?"

"Of course, I am. I wouldn't be your bestie, if I didn't. Besides, no one else is gonna call you out on your bullshit. I am only too happy to do it."

"As always."

* * *

"You excited that your girlfriend is coming back?" Joe teasingly asked Jon.

"I don't know who you're talking about. I don't have a girlfriend," he flatly denied, though he knew exactly who Joe was talking about.

"You've been moping the entire time that she's been gone, especially since you found out who she was with. Don't lie to me."

"I haven't been moping. I'm…tired," he lied. He knew Joe could see right through him. He hated that.

The Samoan laughed. "Such a pussy."

"Shut the fuck up, man."

"Let me ask you a question…if you're not into her, then, why aren't you fucking with anyone else?"

"Because I'm lazy, and it takes work."

"Really? Are you sure that's the reason? Because I'm pretty sure the Jon I know loves a challenge."

"She is a challenge."

A smile formed on Joe's face. "And you _love_ a challenge, don't you?"

Jon rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Are you enjoying yourself, you fucking dickhead?" he questioned.

"I am, actually."

"Dallas is hot. She's a great fuck. There's something about her that I'm definitely liking, but it's all physical. I don't have any interest in doing anything other than fucking the shit out of her. I don't have a crush on her. Fuck, I haven't even kissed her," Jon defended himself. Granted, he knew that they only reason he hadn't actually kissed her was because she hadn't let it happen, but Joe didn't need to know that.

"I still don't believe you. It's like every time anyone says anything about her to you, you get so defensive. That kind of gives it away. Doesn't matter what you say."

"Well, then, if you're gonna believe what you wanna believe, why do you bother asking me about her?"

"Because it's fun to watch you lose your shit over it."

Jon gave his friend a look. "Seriously? That's not cool, man."

Joe shrugged. "I'm gonna call my ladies," he said, pulling out his cell phone and sitting on the edge of his bed.

"I'm gonna go for a walk."

"Alright."

Jon left the hotel room. He headed down the hallway to the elevator, which brought him down to the lobby in a matter of minutes. Walking through the doors, Jon headed out for an aimless walk. He knew he needed to gather his thoughts and get his head on straight when it came to Dallas. For whatever reason, he couldn't get her out of his head. She was stuck there, and it was irritating the hell out of him. He wouldn't say he had feelings for her. Not at all. Not him. That wasn't his thing. But he also couldn't figure out what she was doing to him.

Truthfully, it pissed him off to no end that she was with Tom. He hated it. She shouldn't be with him. What was so special about the overgrown ape anyway? He wasn't even on the main roster. That was like a high schooler dating a middle schooler. You just didn't do it. Jon had more to offer than Tom did. He made more money. He was on the road with her. And he thought he was better looking. He didn't think Tom was a bad guy or anything, but he was a better match for Dallas. They were more alike. They had a different type of chemistry…an electricity. The tension between them was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. While it scared him, it also intrigued him.

Knowing that Dallas would be back soon certainly made him feel all sorts of things he wasn't used to. He was excited to see her. He hoped that she hadn't actually gotten herself hooked up with anyone else. He wanted her. He didn't like sharing. Granted, it was all sexual between the two of them, but that didn't mean he wanted anyone else getting a taste of what was his.

His? His? Jon shook his head, only finding that he was getting more and more frustrated with himself, in trying to make sense of what was going on with Dallas. He didn't like how out of control he felt. He was always in control, even when he seemed out of control. Jon's every action was deliberate and thought out…well…deliberate, maybe not always thought out.

All he could do was wait until Dallas was back. Then, maybe he could figure out exactly what it was that he wanted from her.


	21. Chapter 21

Rolling With the Punches

Chapter 21

Disclaimer: Fiction means it didn't happen in real life. Therefore, this did not happen in real life because it's….you guessed it…fiction!

* * *

 **A/N: A huge thank you to my amazing reviewers: Straight Edge Queen (It's like they don't even see how alike they are...and I'm happy to update, when I'm getting reviews :) So thank you!) and alibob687 (You're the best lol my dear, to help you get through another boring day of adult monotony I give you this next chapter. And we finally have a little Dallas/Jon interaction because she has returned! :) I promise, I will give you all the drama you need...I'm writing chapter 36 now...trust me, I'll keep you entertained. Thanks, love!). Anyways, you guys are the greatest. I hope you enjoy this next chapter, as we've got Dallas back on the road :) Let me know what you think, and I'll try to have the next chapter up asap :) Love you guys XoXoXo**

* * *

Kevin was in his locker room, hanging out with Rami and Colby. They'd just come back from having the last two days off, and Colby was just dying to see how Kevin would react to finding out that Dallas and Tom had spent their time off together. While he wasn't trying to cause problems, at the same time, he absolutely enjoyed the drama that he was including himself in.

"Have you heard about Dallas and Tom?" he asked, always the gossip...and troublemaker.

Kevin's head immediately popped up. "What about them?" he questioned.

"Well, she stayed at his house, while she was in Orlando."

"Uh...why?"

"I dunno. Apparently when they were at the Performance Center, it was obvious to everyone that there was something going on between them."

Rami glared at Colby, unamused with how he was spilling all of this to Kevin. He was trying so hard to get Kevin to quit being so possessive of her, and here Colby was...ruining it all with his big, gossipy mouth. "And you're telling us this because…?"

Colby shrugged. "I just thought it was pretty interesting."

"Don't get him started on this shit with Dallas again," Rami warned.

"What? I was just talking about what I heard," Colby defensively replied. "Besides, you don't care, right?"

The expression Kevin wore on his face answered that question for the both of them. "Do you really have to ask that question?!"

"I mean, I shouldn't have to, considering she's your _ex-girlfriend_ ," Colby said, giving his friend a defiant look.

"Like you wouldn't give a fuck about what...or who Leighla was doing?" Kevin shot back.

"Don't get me wrong, I care and all, but if she was involved with someone else...which she is...I can't be mad about it. I'm the one who cheated on her. I got caught, and I lost her. Kind of how things go. I can't expect her to sit in a box all by herself, while I'm doing whatever I want."

"What if she was with someone who works with us?" he questioned.

"That would suck, but what am I supposed to do about it? Throw a fit like a two year-old?"

Rami smirked at Kevin. "See?"

"Dude, you're not still stuck on Dallas, are you?" Colby asked.

"I'm married. Why the hell would I still be pining over Dallas? She's become a fuckin' trainwreck," Kevin dismissed, though he wasn't actually convincing anyone with how snippy and spiteful his tone was.

"What the hell is it with everyone being hooked on Dallas?" Colby rhetorically questioned aloud.

"Why? Who else is interested?" Kevin nosily inquired.

"The other night, Good was having a hissy fit about her," Colby replied.

"Good?" Rami asked. "As in Jon Good?"

"Yeah…"

"He's been a dick to her since her first day on the main roster," Rami pointed out.

"Well, when I mentioned this whole Tom and Dallas thing to him, the other night, he lost his shit. Joe said something about how he wanted to fuck her or something. And I asked if he already did. He denied it. I mean, I didn't really believe him, but…" Colby shrugged.

"When did she get so popular?" Kevin questioned, anger filling him at the thought of Dallas with Jon.

"She's always been popular with the guys. But when you two were together, no one had a chance in hell. She was so crazy about you that it wasn't worth even trying. But after you left her, she became the number one target."

Kevin slumped his shoulders. While he didn't want to take any of the credit for Dallas's popularity with the male population, he knew it wouldn't be an issue had it not been for his own actions.

"You alright, man?" Colby asked.

"What the fuck did I do?" he groaned.

"I knew it! You do miss her."

"I love Gina. I do. It's just...I was with Dal for five years. Makes it hard to forget about her, especially now that she's here...and everyone else wants her." Kevin paused. "Do not gossip about his, Lopez. I swear, I will fuck you up, if you do."

"I won't say anything to anyone. I just...don't get me wrong, I love Dallas. I really do, she's cool as shit. I love hanging out with her and bickering with her. And, yeah, she's gorgeous and all, but it's like...man, everyone is just completely losing their shit over her," he said.

"Being with Dallas is...it's just...it's different. She's cool. You can hang out with her like she's one of the guys, and it doesn't matter. She's hot as hell, so showing her off is definitely an ego boost. She's...great in bed. She's...I mean, the only differences we really ever had were that she loves hockey and beer, and I don't like either."

"So, then, why did you cheat on her, if she's so great?"

Kevin sighed. "The thing with Dallas is that…" He paused. "You know about the shit that she went through, right?"

Colby pressed his lips together and nodded. "Yeah, I know."

"Well, she always said it didn't bother her and shit. She played it all off like it was no big deal. But...she was definitely closed off in a lot of ways, you know? I never really felt like she fully trusted me. I mean, she never accused me of doing anything behind her back or went through my stuff. She wasn't one of those crazy girlfriends or whatever...nothing like that. She just acted like she didn't care about any of it. She never wanted to get married. She definitely never wanted to have kids at all. She refused to talk about what happened to her...or really about anything in her past. Even...we...well, I…" Kevin took a deep breath and let it out. "I took her to a therapist once...because I mean, after going through all of that, I feel like you should go talk to someone about it. She just kind of acted like nothing serious happened, like everything was perfectly fine. She just...wouldn't open up to me, and it killed me. I wanted to help her so badly. Even when I told her about Gina, she acted like it wasn't a big deal. She didn't flip out on me or anything. She told me she had a feeling, and then, asked me if I was leaving her. And that…" He shook his head. "I snapped and went off on her. Then, I left her."

"Wow," Colby breathed.

"I know. It makes me look like such a dick for leaving her. When it comes down to it, I pretty much left her because of the shit that happened to her."

Rami nodded enthusiastically. "I'm not much better. You bailed on her, and I stopped talking to her," he agreed.

"You're both assholes," Colby spoke with a nod. "I mean, after what she went through...I could never do that."

"Why do you think Claudio hates me so much? After I left Dallas, he was ready to kill me...not that I blame him."

"Ah! It all makes sense now." Colby paused. "I bet you regret that whole thing now, huh?"

"I mean, I love Gina. I love my son. I can't regret any of it because if it didn't happen, I wouldn't have my family. But...fuck if I don't think about her all the time."

"Man, you've got issues," Colby breathed.

Kevin glared at his friend. "Thanks, asshole."

"You have to leave her alone," Rami told him, his voice firm.

"Besides, she has Tom and Jon up her ass. The last thing she needs is for you to jump on that bandwagon," Colby pointed out.

"You know, if you could stop talking about all of the guys who want to fuck my ex-girlfriend, that'd be awesome."

Colby shrugged. "It's just the way it is, my man."

* * *

"What?" Jon questioned Joe, in their shared locker room. They also had Nick Nemeth, Randy Orton, and Stu Bennett sharing it with them.

The Samoan gave him a look. "You know exactly what."

"No, I don't. Stop looking at me like that."

"Are you gonna talk to her?" Joe asked him.

"Talk to who?"Jon shot back, playing dumb.

"Stop. You know exactly who I'm talking about."

"Who's he talking about?" Randy inquired.

"No one," Jon quickly shot back, giving his best friend a look.

"Bullshit. Stop acting like you didn't call her twenty times when her phone was going straight to voicemail," Joe called him out.

"I didn't," he denied, though from his tone, it was clear that he was lying. But he didn't think so. He had to have attempted calling her more like fifty times, so Joe was technically wrong.

"Bullshit."

"Who are you talking about?" Nick asked.

"No one."

"Obviously, she's not no one, mate," Stu chimed in.

"Fuck. Leave me alone. I'm not interested in her. I'm not gonna talk to her because there's nothing for us to talk about. I don't give a shit about her. Now, can we please stop talking about Dallas?" The second her name left his mouth, Jon wanted to strangle himself. He couldn't have kept his mouth shut and not let the room full of guys know about his recent interest in the newest Diva in the company.

"Dallas?!" Nick shot.

"Really?" Randy asked, considering the pairing.

"I'm actually not surprised," Stu said.

"There's nothing going on," Jon groaned.

"Why not?" Randy asked. "You two seem like you'd work well together."

"We wouldn't," he quickly dismissed.

"Why not? Are you just being shy with us, Jonny Boy?" Nick teased him.

"I don't fucking like her. I have no interested in her. I don't give a shit about what she does. I don't care who she fucks. She can do whatever or whoever she wants. And so can I," he vented frustrated with all of the Dallas-related comments.

The guys all exchanged amused looks with each other. "You seem a little defensive there, mate," Stu chuckled.

"She can go fuck Tom. I don't give a shit," the Lunatic Fringe growled.

"You uh…sound a little pissed off that she spent the last couple of days with Tom," Nick commented, smirking.

"I'm not!" Jon yelled.

"Well, then, I guess that's good because I heard those two were getting pretty close," Randy chimed in.

"Yeah. Apparently they have a thing going on or so I hear," Joe popped his two cents in.

"I know what you're trying to do," Jon breathed through gritted teeth.

The guys laughed. "Oh relax, we're just busting your balls," Nick said, nudging him with his shoulder.

"It's not funny," Jon replied.

Truth be told, it was annoying the hell out of him to have to hear about Tom and Dallas constantly. Was he pissed off about them being together? If he was being honest with himself, kind of. If Dallas was getting herself all caught up in these stupid games with Tom, then, she probably wouldn't be sleeping with him. And he was sure that he wanted to experience her again. He didn't need anyone knowing about that, though.

"I think it is," Joe said,

"Fuck you, man," Jon impatiently quipped before getting up and storming out of the locker room. He began walking around aimlessly, trying to calm himself down a bit.

That hope was quickly shot to shit when saw Dallas. He sneered at the brunette. She gave him a confused look.

"What's your problem, grumpy?" she sharply questioned.

He raised an eyebrow and stopped in his tracks. "My problem? What's my problem?" he incredulously questioned.

"That was my question. I'm glad you understood it."

"I'm so fucking sick and tired of hearing about you fucking around with everyone else," he shot. "Seriously, try to keep your legs shut once in a while, Dallas."

"Well, Mox, what happens between my legs isn't any of your business," she quipped. "Unless you're the one between them, don't think about it."

"You're such a fucking slut."

She smirked. "Like you're the first person to ever tell me that?" Dallas laughed bitterly. "Sounds to me like you're jealous."

"Like I'd be jealous of Tom?"

"Why do you give a shit about what I do? You can fuck whoever you want to, Mox. I won't even think twice about it. But I go to Orlando with Tom, and it's like you're bothered by it or something," she spoke with a roll of her eyes.

"Well, if you're dating Tom, you probably won't be sleeping with me, so that does affect me," he replied.

"Who told you we were dating?" she asked him, furrowing her brow.

"I dunno. Someone said you two have a thing. And by someone, I mean…like everyone," he told her.

"Oh man. Okay. Well, I'm not dating Tom. I told him it wasn't going to happen," she explained, shaking her head.

"Oh…"

"You seriously need to relax, Mox. This whole jealous bit you keep pulling is getting pretty old. We slept together a couple of times. That's it. It was great and all, but that doesn't mean that you need to be getting jealous and shit. What I do when I'm not with you is none of your business. If you have a problem with it, deal with it on your own. Don't take it out on me."

"So, you think you can whore yourself out around the locker room and still fuck with me?" he questioned.

Dallas rolled her eyes. "Then, I won't fuck with you, Mox. It doesn't bother me. To be honest, I wasn't really planning on doing it anyway."

"Oh. Right. Like you're the fucking prize," he muttered. He knew he thought she was. But he wasn't about to tell her that. Dallas pushed passed him. He caught her by the shoulder. "So that's how it is?"

"Is it supposed to be some other way?" she spat.

He held his glare on her for a few minutes longer, before she finally pulled away from him and headed back down the hallway.

Jon was fuming. He wasn't quite sure what it was about her, but Dallas had managed to get under his skin so easily. The way she shrugged him off with such ease really got to him. Women didn't typically blow him off like that. In fact, he usually had issues getting them to go away at all. Jon was never one to chase a skirt and always swore that he never would. But he found that since he had met Dallas, he was the only one doing the chasing. That was definitely not something he wanted to admit. But every single time that he was near her, he had a difficult time keeping his hands off of her. Jon wasn't sure what he was doing when it came to her, but he knew he needed to figure it out…and soon.


	22. Chapter 22

Rolling With the Punches

Chapter 22

Disclaimer: This is fiction. It did not happen in real life. Sorry, I know. I wish it did, too. It'd make for some interesting dirt sheets.

* * *

 **A/N: I apparently can't stop with the constant flow of updates :) A huge thank you to: lourdes1694 (Kevin just enjoys being a dick, and as for Tom, I don't think we've seen the last of him quite yet...), DenyingTheTruth (It could happen...but then again, they're both pretty stubborn.), Straight Edge Queen (I love the drama), and LipglossnLetdown (I'm glad you're loving it :) She's a total bitch. I love it.) My reviewers own my soul. So do my readers. My reviewers just happen to make themselves known. We've got a lot of craziness coming up with all of Dallas's men issues...and other issues, which we'll have to get into at some point. Hope you're all enjoying. Please let me know what you're thinking. Love you guys XoXoXo**

* * *

Dallas had just gotten out of the shower, in her hotel room, after that night's live show. She made her way out of the bathroom, clad only in a towel. Her hair was wet and clung to her back and shoulders. She was ready to just lay in bed and watch some television, until she fell asleep, having not had much time to herself in the last couple of days, seeing as she was with Tom the entire time. As for the other pain in the ass in her life, she wasn't sure what the hell was going on with Jon. His attitude towards her earlier that day was completely unfair and out of line. She had no idea why he was so bothered by hearing about her and Tom. Quite frankly, what she did was none of his business, and she sure as hell didn't owe him an explanation. It irritated her to no end that he thought he had any right to bitch about what she did with Tom…or anyone else for that matter.

Sitting on the bed, Dallas was moisturizing, trying to forget about the man that was causing her grief, when there was a knock at the door. Raising a confused eyebrow, Dallas put her lotion down and wiped her hands on the big, fluffy towel covering her otherwise naked body. She glanced through the peephole and instantly rolled her eyes. It was like he somehow knew that she was thinking about him, at that very moment.

She opened the door and didn't miss a beat. "What do you want?" she greeted her unwelcome visitor.

"I can't just stop by and visit you?" Jon smugly questioned.

Dallas brought an impatient hand onto her hip, cocking her head to the side. "No," she matter of factly replied, having no interest in dealing with him, after the bullshit he had pulled backstage at that night's show.

"Ouch. Why are you so moody?"

"Why are you so bipolar? First, you're all pissy with me, and now you're showing up at my hotel room, acting like things are good. Right. You're more than welcome to leave," she shot with a no-nonsense expression on her face.

"Listen, I'm sorry about that whole thing that happened earlier. The guys were busting my balls about you, and I guess I got a little annoyed," he explained.

"What are you doing here, Mox?" she firmly questioned him.

"Can I come in? I don't think either of us needs someone seeing me standing outside of your hotel room," he pointed out, leaning against the door frame.

"Fine. Whatever," she breathed, stepping out of the way, so he could enter. As soon as he was inside, she shut the door.

"I see you got all dressed up for me," he teased, as she turned around and faced him, unamused with his playfulness.

"Seriously, what are you doing here?" she repeated her question yet again, no sign of playfulness in her tone.

"I was in my room, and I was thinking that there's gotta be some hot piece of ass around here that I can sink my teeth…or my dick…into. And somehow, I ended up here," he replied with a casual shrug paired with a smirk.

"Really? You have issues, Mox. I suggest that you address them…with a therapist," she told him.

"Why are you being like this?" he asked, running a hand through his unruly hair. It bothered him that she was able to resist him.

"Because I'm pretty sure that this wasn't supposed to become a thing, yet here you are, showing up where you're not welcome," she replied.

"Oh come on. We had a lot of fun, right?"

"Yeah, but I made my feelings on it all very clear."

Jon rolled his eyes. "Come on, Dal," his voice pleaded with her. She still looked completely unamused.

"I have things to do," she brushed him off.

"You're damn right you do. I've got an itch, and it needs some scratching."

"You should probably see a doctor for that. I'm sure he can prescribe you a cream or something."

He gave her a look and brought his hands onto her arms. "Come on, Dal. We both had a lot of fun with each other. I don't see why we can't just do it again," he tried to reason with her. "Is it because of your little boyfriend, Tommy?"

"He's not my boyfriend," she muttered.

"You mentioned something about that. Why isn't he?"

"Because of the same reason that we shouldn't be sleeping with each other anymore," she replied, not caring to explain herself but knowing that if she didn't, he wouldn't be leaving her alone any time soon.

"Which is…?"

"I don't need the drama and bullshit associated with any arrangements."

"There's no bullshit associated with us fucking around."

"Well, apparently there is because the second you heard about me and Tom, you acted like a baby," she retorted.

"I did not." She shot him a glare. "Okay, I did, but it wasn't my fault. The guys were ragging on me big time."

"Excuses. Excuses."

"Come on, Dal. You got me all excited when you answered the door in a towel," he tried goading her.

"Do you think we really need to be doing this? It's like we're asking for trouble," she shot, folding her arms over her chest.

"No. It's just a little relief for the both of us. Do you honestly not want to? Because if you really don't have any interest, I'll leave you alone." Dallas remained silent, biting at the inside of her cheek. A smile crept onto her face. "If you're single, then, it's not like it's anyone else's business. You said so yourself." He paused. "Do you want me to fuck you, Dallas?"

Jon could see her trying to resist smiling. "There might be the slightest of chances that I do," she replied, her voice low.

"A slight chance? I can work with that. What do I have to do to butter you up, princess?" he hopefully questioned her.

"You can start by taking that jacket off," she spoke.

Never in his twenty-nine years had Jon managed t get himself out of a jacket so quickly, as the leather garment was almost instantly on the floor. "Done."

"Then, maybe you should get rid of that shirt," she suggested.

Jon quickly tossed it off of his body, not giving the slightest thought as to where it landed. He kicked his boots off with a momentary struggle. "What else can I do for you?" He was grinning like the Cheshire cat.

"Hmmm…I dunno," she spoke, pretending to think, while her hands landed on his belt. She quickly unbuckled it. Her eyes looked up at him, her teeth biting into her lower lip. Her fingers quickly unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans.

Taking a step back towards the bed, Dallas brought a hand onto her hip. Jon quickly pulled his jeans down, taking his socks off, as well. He was already hard as a rock. She held the towel against her body, as she climbed onto the bed. She stood on her knees. Jon stepped up to her. He wrapped an arm around her and leaned in to kiss her. Dallas put her hand on his chest, stopping him, before his lips could reach hers.

"Why won't you let me kiss you?" he questioned her.

"Because…kissing me is a privilege…one that you haven't earned yet," she shot. "Do you have any more questions? We can make this an interview, or we can do this."

"I've never met a woman like you, in my entire life. Most want me to talk to them and shit. You're just like 'shut up and fuck me'," he told her.

"Is that a problem?" she asked, raising a questioning eyebrow.

He smirked. "No…"

"Good."

She brought her fingers to the waistband of his boxer briefs and began pulling them down. His quickly erection sprang free. He kicked his underwear aside, as her hand grasped his throbbing flesh. He let out a groan upon feeling her touch. She gently stroked him, while smirking up at him. Bending her head down, Dallas ran her tongue over the head. He sucked in a deep, audible breath at the sensation.

"Fuck, Dal," he moaned, as she closed her mouth over the head of his dick, pulling his length deeper into her mouth. He rested his hand on top of her head, as she brought his dick in and out of her mouth, taking him deeper each time. His fingers gently grabbed her hair. "That feels so fuckin' amazing."

Dallas pulled back and straightened up. She pulled the towel off of her body. Jon immediately pushed her back on the bed and covering her body with his own. His lips quickly found their way to her nipple. He raked his teeth over it. She let out a small yelp. Jon brought a hand onto her ass. He trailed his mouth down passed her stomach, before stopping at her center. Dallas propped herself up on her elbows. Jon smirked up at her. He brought a finger to her heated core and slowly slid it into her. She bit on her bottom lip. Bringing his mouth to her folds, Dallas threw her head back. His tongue worked her clit, while he was slowly pumping his finger into her. "Fuck," she breathed, before letting out a moan.

Jon pulled his mouth off of her and hovered over her body. Dallas flipped them around, so she was on top of him. Holding onto his rock hard cock, she slowly lowered herself onto him.

"Ah fuck, Dal," he breathed, grabbing ahold of her, while she rolled her hips on top of him, both of them feeling too much pleasure to form any semblance of a coherent sentence.

"Shit," she groaned.

"I swear, you're the fuckin' best," he growled, as she began picking up the pace. The unmistakable sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed through the room.

"I know," she breathed.

"Cocky bitch."

Dallas smiled. "Yup, you know it." Her hands held onto his arms, as his grasp on her hips tightened.

"So fuckin' good," he moaned, his head on the pillow, his eyes heavy-lidded.

"Fuck, Mox," she groaned. Her body was on fire. His touch was driving her crazy. "I don't know how you do it, but you are so good."

Jon smirked at her, before pushing her off of him and climbing behind her. He bent her over on all fours, before pushing himself back inside of her. She let out a growl upon being filled. Jon told hold of her hips. She buried her face in the pillow, allowing it to muffle her moans.

Jon was in paradise. His eyes took in the sight before him. There was something about Dallas that he couldn't seem to get enough of, no matter how hard he tried. He should have known something was up when even just looking at her bare back could get him excited. Bringing his eyes lower, his view rested on the ass sticking out before him. It was perfect. He loved the way it moved every time he thrust into her.

Jon held onto her hips, his fingers grasping her harder, as he began pumping into her more furiously. "Fuck, Dal. You always get me so fuckin' hard," he groaned.

The brunette smirked and turned her head, looking at him over her shoulder. "Don't get too excited, Mox. This is the last time we're doing this. So, you better savor the moment."

"Fuck no. I need this all the time. It feels so fuckin' good," he breathed, picking up the pace. There was no way in hell that this was it. But he wasn't exactly in the position, currently, to argue with her.

"Fuck, Mox. Your dick feels so good," she purred.

His eyes caught hers. "You're so fuckin' tight, Dal. This has got to be the best pussy I've ever had."

"Well, like I said, enjoy it now," she shot back.

He gave her a look, before flipping her onto her back and quickly pushing back into her. Jon hovered over her body, while she wrapped her legs around his waist. Jon wrapped an arm around her, the other holding him up on top of her. Dallas brought a hand between their bodies, opting to stimulate herself, though she was impressed with how close he had already managed to get her just by being inside of her.

"You're so fuckin' hot, Dal. Do you know that?" he asked, his tony husky, as he was breathing hard.

She chuckled and brought her forehead into the crook of his neck, as she brought herself closer and closer to her release. Jon pulled her body closer to his. His lips were practically on her ear. "I want you to cum for me, Dallas," he mewled. "Can you do that for me, baby?"

Her teeth sunk into her bottom lip. She had no idea how he managed to do it for her the way that he did. Just using his voice, he could make her body quiver and practically orgasm on command. One more thrust into her and Dallas shut her eyes tightly, as her climax hit her.

"That's right. Just like that," he spoke against her skin. She felt a blinding pleasure, before she heard him groan and felt him tense up. He released inside of her, letting out a series of grunts and moans, before limply laying on her body. He wasn't crushing her, and she didn't mind having him laying on top of her. She smiled, as her orgasm and its aftershocks subsided.

After a few moments, Jon rolled off of her. She turned on her side. "That was a good final fuck," she spoke, still slightly out of breath.

He looked over at her. "You know there's no way in hell we're done," he breathlessly told her. He got up and pulled the blankets down and climbed beneath them. He pulled them down further, forcing Dallas to move. He pulled her under with him.

Jon wrapped an arm around her and pulled her onto his body. Though she was confused, Dallas rested her head on his chest, before the two quickly fell asleep.

* * *

Jon opened one eye and was nearly blinded by the sunlight filtering through the window. He squinted and felt a light on his chest and an arm thrown across his body. He glanced down and saw Dallas's head still laying on his chest. And it was her arm thrown around his body. He still had his arm wrapped around her. A smirk pulled at his lips, before he managed to will it away. Jon couldn't figure out what it was, but there was something about Dallas that he couldn't stay away from. Usually, when he would fall asleep in someone's room/apartment/etc., he was running out the door as quickly as he could. But he stuck around with Dallas. He kept telling himself that he was only there because he knew she didn't want him to be. But if he was going to be honest with himself, he knew that wasn't the reason.

"You're still here," a groggy voice spoke.

Jon glanced down at her. "Morning," he breathed.

She sat up and glanced at the clock. "Seven-twelve. I'm gonna have to get my ass to the gym," she groaned.

"The gym can wait," he told her. She gave him a confused look.

"Why's that?"

"Because…I wanna talk to you for a minute."

"Okay…" She paused. "What are you still doing here anyway?"

Jon shrugged. "I dunno. I guess I fell asleep…and stayed asleep."

She raised an eyebrow. "You're awake now."

"I was comfortable." He thought for a moment. "You know this isn't ending, right?" he asked her.

Dallas raised an eyebrow at him. "Why isn't it?"

"Because…it's good…fuckin' amazing, actually."

"Listen, Mox, don't get me wrong or anything, it is amazing. The sex is easily some of the best I've ever had."

"Better than Tommy Boy?" he cut in.

"We're not talking about him," she firmly spoke. "Anyway, I just think that if this keeps happening, shit is bound to get screwy."

"How? I can't stand being near you when you've got your clothes on. You feel the same way about me. Where's it getting' screwy?"

"Mox, come on. You're acting like I'm dumping you or something."

"I mean, you kind of are. And the worst part is that it's my dick that you're dumping," he replied.

She rolled her eyes. "You're so dramatic."

"Listen, you know that I'm not one to have relationships or date or any of that shit. Never have been. Never will be. I'm not gonna make this complicated. I don't do complicated. I just really like fucking you. You're hot. You're amazing in bed. That's it. I just want to fuck the shit out of you as much as I can."

"You're making this out to be a much bigger deal than it needs to be. It's just sex, Mox. You can find it easily, I'm sure," she told him.

"Of course I can. But with you, it's so much simpler. You're not some crazy fangirl. You're not clingy. It's like we're looking for the exact same thing. We don't have to put in any effort. We can just get laid."

She sighed. "I dunno. I'll have to think about it. But if we keep fucking, and you catch feelings, I swear, I'll cut you off and probably never speak to you again."

Jon smirked. "Trust me, darlin', I'm not stupid enough to catch feelings for you." With that, he got up out of bed and threw his clothes back on. She pulled on a pair of underwear, along with a sports bra and a pair of black capri-cut leggings, and a gray Performance Center t-shirt.

He walked off towards the door. "See you later," he spoke, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Do you want me to make sure there's no one out there, first?" she questioned him.

"That's probably a good idea." She made her way over to the door and opened it. She glanced out into the hallway and watched someone turn a corner and waited until he was out of sight. She waved Jon on.

"You're good," she told him.

Jon smiled and squeezed passed Dallas, his hand grabbing her ass, in the process. She shot him a look, before smiling.

"Bye," he spoke, lingering in front of her for a moment.

"Bye, Mox." And with that, he was gone.


	23. Chapter 23

Rolling With the Punches

Chapter 23

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. It didn't happen in real life. Sorry to disappoint.

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you Straight Edge Queen :) This chapter goes out to one of my most loyal readers and someone I like to consider a friend, alibob687 :) Leave me some feedback. Let me know what you're thinking. As we know, the more reviews I get, the quicker I end up updating lol I'm easily swayed. Now, I'll continue typing up some chapters, while enjoying my vast library of music from the '90's. On a serious note, my heart goes out to everyone in France. They need the love right about now. Love you all XoXoXo**

* * *

"You seem like you're in a good mood today," Mercedes spoke, raising an eyebrow at Dallas. The two were in catering, hanging out. They had a house show that evening. Both women had arrived fairly early and were just passing the time.

"Let me ask you a question…"

"Okay…" Mercedes looked suspicious.

"You already know about the shit going on with Mox. I told him that it couldn't happen anymore. Fine. Over and done with. No big deal, right? Then, as you know, I was in Orlando, and I stayed with Tom. So, Tom kind of wants to be more than…whatever we are now…which is nothing other than friends who had sex and went on a date once. And he's seriously a great guy. The sex is really good. He's so sweet to me. He makes me feel special, and it's nice to have that, especially with all of the bullshit with Mox and shit-head Steen. He's definitely a safe option…well, as safe as my options are. I mean, you know I have my issues with all of that bullshit, so I kind of shot him down, when he was talking about wanting more or whatever."

"Tom is great. I think he'd be a great match for you. He's sweet, and he's cool to be around. He can act like a dick when he wants to but he's not actually like that to the people he cares about…you being one of them."

"Yeah. Well, after I came back yesterday, for whatever reason, psychopath Mox had a whole hissy fit over hearing about the Tom thing. I told him to fuck off and leave me alone, basically. Last night, he showed up at my hotel room, and we ended up sleeping together…again. I told him that it had to be the last time, and we really couldn't do it again. It was amazing, as it always is with him. And I woke up this morning, and…he was still there…in bed with me. His arm was around me, and we were like…cuddling or something." She made a disgusted face. "And he was kind of begging me to keep sleeping with him," she explained.

"What are you gonna do?"

"Well, that was really my question…what do you think I should do?" she asked, hoping that her friend had some words of wisdom for her.

Mercedes made a face, not sure why she should tell her friend. "Well, why don't you want to sleep with Jon anymore?" she asked.

"Because…I mean…you know…we could do a regular-type thing. And that would be fine and dandy, but…that doesn't usually end well for me. Remember when shit went down with Austin? I don't need something like that happening again."

"Yeah, but Jon is different than Austin."

"Well, he is, but…I mean…what if he ends up wanting more? I don't think he will, but if it's a possibility…I dunno."

"The bright side is that you two aren't really even friends. So, if he ends up wanting more with you than just sex, you can cut him off a hell of a lot easier than you could with Austin," Mercedes pointed out.

"That's true. But what about Tom? I don't want to hurt his feelings. He's such a great guy, and I feel bad."

"That's a tough one. I mean…" She thought for a moment. "The sex with him is good, you said?"

"Yeah. It's good. Really good," she honestly replied.

"But you like having sex with Jon more," Mercedes concluded.

"What? I didn't say that…"

"You didn't have to. I can tell. Am I right?"

"Well, yeah…but I don't know why. Tom is really good, and he's bigger than Mox…not that Mox has anything to worry about. He's pretty big on his own."

Mercedes smirked. "Do you honestly want to know what I think?"

"Please."

"I think you and Jon have a hell of a lot of chemistry. That's why you're more into having sex with him than Tom. As for Jon…he has a crush on you. He's the kind of guy who'll leave a chick in the middle of the night after sleeping with her. But he stays with you. Hell, you said it yourself, he was cuddling with you. And you might not be looking for a relationship or anything like that, but I think you're trying really hard to resist because you feel the chemistry and are drawn to him, but you're afraid of what could happen, if you actually gave being more than fuck buddies a legit chance," Mercedes explained her thoughts.

Dallas made a face. "Really? Ugh…" she groaned.

Then, Mercedes's eyes widened. "Tom just walked in," she told her friend, trying not to move her mouth too much and keep her voice down.

"What?!" she gasped, feeling her stomach lurch…not in a good way. Her heart began pounding in her chest, and she froze.

A moment later, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She practically jumped out of her skin, as hearing that Tom was there immediately put her on edge.

"Whoa. Sorry," Tom's voice apologized from behind her.

She mustered up the best, most genuine-seeming fake smile that she possibly could. Yup. It was him, in the flesh. "Oh my God! Tom! What are you doing here?" she asked, standing up. He quickly pulled her into a hug.

"Hey Dal. I just…I wasn't really doing anything for the next couple of days and figured I could come see you," he told her, a smile playing on his lips.

"Aw. That's so sweet," Mercedes spoke, standing up from her chair, while Tom and Dallas pulled back from their hug. Mercedes quickly hugged him. "So," she began, looking at Tom, "are you two a thing or something?"

"Oh…uh…I don't know…" he replied, a blush creeping up on his face.

"Oh sorry. Not trying to make it weird or anything." She gave Dallas a look that he couldn't see. Dallas wanted to choke her best friend for calling it out like that. "Alright, well, I'll be in the locker room. I'll see you in there in a little bit, Dal. Nice seeing you, Tom." And with that, Dallas was alone with Tom. The two sat down.

"I'm sorry if I interrupted the two of you," he apologized.

"Nah. Mercedes and I were just hanging out because we got here earlier than everyone else and didn't have anything to do. That's all." She paused. "So, you really came all this way to see me?" she asked.

Tom grinned. "Yeah, I did."

She smiled. "That's…that's really sweet of you, Tom." Truthfully, Dallas did think it was incredibly sweet of him to do that. However, she was also feeling a little confused by the gesture. She had told him that she wasn't into the whole relationship thing, right? At least, she thought she had. She specifically recalled letting him down.

His hand found its way onto her knee. "I'm gonna be honest with you, it really sucks not having you around."

A genuine smile tugged at her lips. "Aw. You missed sleeping with me?"

"I mean…yeah. And I'm not even talking about having sex. I mean actually sleeping. The sex is great, too. But that's not what it's about to me," he told her, his tone genuine. And she knew that he meant it.

Dallas placed her hand on his arm. "Why are you being so sweet to me, Tom? I've warned you…I'm not good."

"I disagree with you there. You're amazing." Tom pulled her out of her chair and onto his lap, so she was straddling him. She was feeling a little uncomfortable, especially with a couple more people filtering into catering. She didn't need everyone seeing this interaction with Tom. Everyone was already gossiping about her, as it was. Not to mention, the absolute last thing that she wanted was for Jon to walk in and see this, although she wasn't entirely sure why.

"I dunno about that."

"Motherfucker. Whaddya know?" Kevin's voice rang out, as he walked in with Rami, who rolled his eyes and shook his head, not wanting his friend to start problems.

The brunette Diva practically flew off of Tom's lap. She had her hands on her hips. "You gotta problem, Steen?" she shot back.

Kevin walked right up to them. Tom stood up and folded his arms over his chest, ready to defend Dallas, the second that he crossed any lines. Tom knew it wasn't his place to get involved in their problems, but he didn't want Kevin disrespecting the woman he had come to care so much about. Rami was trying to pull Kevin's arm, to drag him away and this confrontation. It was clear that he didn't want this to go down either.

"Actually, I do, Dallas," he replied, stepping right in front of her. Everyone's eyes were on the exchange, and she was wishing the ground would open up and swallow her whole. It was bad enough that everyone was watching her with Tom. Now, they got to witness this pleasant exchange with her ex-boyfriend. Well, if this didn't just become one of the shittiest days and quickly. "You wanna slut it up everywhere you go, huh?"

"Are you just saying that because you're pissed off that I won't give you the time of day and here I am with someone else? I bet that really pisses you off, huh, Steen?" she sneered, a smirk on her lips.

"Trust me, Dal, the last thing that I need is another piece of you…even though I'm sure I could have you, if I wanted you. You seem to be easy enough these days."

"Kev, come on. Cut this shit out," Rami interjected.

"Nah. He wants to do this with me again? Then, Big Man Steen can do this," she shot, waving Rami off.

"You think this is funny?" Kevin asked her.

She smirked. "Funny? More like fucking hilarious. I think you're a joke…a sad, pathetic joke. I think you're acting like a child who put a toy down, but the second another kid goes to play with it, you suddenly want it again. The only reason you're paying any attention to what I'm doing is because I'm moving ahead with my life without you. And for a married man, that's really pathetic and just sad," she spat.

"Yeah. Well, first of all, you realize you just called yourself a toy, right?" Kevin shot with an amused smirk. "At least you know how everyone else sees you. A fucking disposable, replaceable toy, Dallas."

"Oh gee, Kevin. What can I say to that? You really got me there," she replied, blatantly pretending to be offended by his words. "Is that the best you can do? Do you honestly think that hurts me? Trust me, my skin a hell of a lot tougher than that, Steen. You can throw whatever you want my way. I can handle it. I've deal with a lot worse than a pathetic, jealous brat like yourself," she retorted with a knowing look and a raised eyebrow.

Kevin thought for a moment, knowing exactly what she was talking about. She got him there. Instead of replying, he turned around and walked out of catering. Tom looked confused. Rami stood there. "I'm sorry, Dal," he apologized to her.

"Why are you sorry?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Because…he really shouldn't say those things to you. You're not doing anything wrong." He glanced up at Tom. "You've got yourself a good guy. You deserve it…and you deserve to be happy for once," he spoke.

Dallas shrugged. "I'll be fine, Rami. Like I said to Kevin, he doesn't bother me. I've been through a hell of a lot worse than some name-calling from a douchebag," she replied with a nonchalant attitude.

"Why does he keep doing this?" Tom finally spoke up. He would have defended Dallas, but she seemed to be able to take care of herself.

"He's jealous," Rami replied. "That's all."

The brunette rolled her eyes. "He's just a fucking douchebag," she muttered venomously, before storming out of catering. She made her way down the hallway, quickly spotting the person that she was looking for, as he headed into his locker room. Dallas followed behind him, stopping him from closing the door.

Kevin turned around, surprised to see Dallas standing there. She stepped into the otherwise empty locker room, shutting the door behind herself.

"You can't keep pulling this shit when you feel like being a douchebag," she started, her voice slightly raised. "It isn't fair. I've dealt with so much bullshit in my life that you are the last fucking thorn I need in my side."

"Dallas, I—"

"No," she interrupted him. "You're going to shut your fucking mouth and listen to everything I have to say, and you're going to deal with it. I don't really give a shit what you have to say anymore because this is getting to be fucking ridiculous. I don't want to hear another snide fucking comment. I don't want to hear you accusing me of fucking everyone on the roster. I don't want to hear any of your fucking whining again! The fact that you threw everything we had away isn't my problem anymore. If you're pissed because you see me with Tom, it's not my problem. It's your problem. I have every right to do whatever the hell I want to do. I'm an adult. I can do whatever the hell I please, and I don't need to get shit from you for doing it. I don't owe you an explanation for what or who I do. You're acting like a psycho ex-boyfriend, which is completely beyond my comprehension, considering the fact that you're the one who left me, after you knocked up your little side piece. I don't understand what the hell your problem is, but you need to leave me the hell alone and stay the fuck out of my life. And I can promise you, if you don't, I'll let your little wife know exactly what you've been up to…harassing me, storming into my hotel room, and we'll see how much she likes that."

Kevin remained silent for a couple of minutes, after Dallas finished tearing him a new asshole. She couldn't read his expression, which wasn't something that happened often. She actually knew him pretty well and could usually figure out what was going on in his head.

After a couple of moments of silence, Dallas turned to leave the room. Kevin's hand on her arm stopped her. "I'm sorry, Dal. I'll leave you alone," he calmly spoke, his voice low. It wasn't a tone he used very often at all.

"Thank you," she sharply replied, before opening the door and walking out, as she headed back to catering.

* * *

"Are you actually gonna leave her alone now?" Rami asked, after scolding Kevin.

"I don't wanna talk about it," he dismissed the subject.

"You really have to stop doing this to her. It isn't fair."

"I know. I'm done," Kevin insisted.

Rami rolled his eyes, not believing his best friend. "Bullshit. For whatever reason, you can't seem to stay away from her."

"I'm gonna leave her alone," he spoke, his voice low.

"What's your problem?" Rami asked.

"I'm not gonna bother her again. That's all."

He raised a confused eyebrow. "What's going on with you?"

"Sometimes I think about what she went through, and I just…I feel bad for being an asshole to her."

"Oh…well, you should. She went through hell."

"I know. I just…I don't know, man. It's hard to see her all over Tom. It drives me crazy to see that shit."

"But that's your problem. Not hers. You better stop acting like a complete dick around her. This has gotten completely out of hand."

"I know! Okay?! I fucking know! And I don't want to talk about it anymore. So, fucking drop it," Kevin snapped.

* * *

"So, did you hear? Your girl's man is here. Feeling jealous?" Joe asked Jon with a smirk adorning his face.

"What?" Jon asked, not understanding what the Samoan was talking about.

"Tom is here."

"Seriously? Why?"

"Rumor has it that he's got it bad for your lady."

"If you're referring to Dallas, she's not mine, and she's sure as hell not a lady," he replied, shaking his head.

"Right."

"Besides, what the fuck do I have to be jealous of? I was in her hotel room last night, giving her what Tom apparently isn't. And if he fucks her, he'll be doing it in the bed that I already fucked her in," he shot.

"What is your obsession with Dallas, anyway?"

"What are you talking about? There's no obsession with her. I just like fucking her," he replied with a shrug.

"Have you fucked anyone else since you started sleeping with her?"

"Well, no, but—"

"You have to be careful, my friend. You're gonna end up in this a lot deeper than you plan to," he warned.

"Bullshit. You know how I am," Jon dismissed him.

"Yeah, but…I don't know. I feel like this'll come back and bite you in the ass. And she's perfect for you with the attitude and how she doesn't want anything other than sex. But you two…I dunno. There's something going on. I've got a bad feeling about this."

"You're being crazy."

"If you say so. I'm just trying to give you a heads up, before you get in deep."

"The only thing I'll be getting deep in is her pussy."

Joe gave him a look. "Man, just wait. This shit is gonna end up fucking you up."

Jon rolled his eyes. "Whatever, man," he breathed.

"Listen, I'm not trying to annoy you. I'm just trying to be your friend and tell you what I think this looks like, brother."

"Well, thank you, but I'm gonna be fine."

"Alright. We'll see, my man. We'll see."

* * *

"I'm sorry about Kevin," Dallas apologized. "He doesn't know how to stop being an asshole, I guess."

Tom pushed her hair behind her ear. "It's not your fault, babe." He gave her a small smile. "Besides, if he didn't make it difficult, he wouldn't be your ex, right?"

"He said he'd leave me alone," she breathed. "But who fucking knows with that asshole? He's bipolar or something. Apologized one day, but then, starts shit another day."

"Listen, it is what it is. He's probably just upset that he's lost you," he replied.

Dallas rolled her eyes. "I doubt that. He's just trying to ruin my life, for whatever reason," she muttered.

"On the bright side, he's gone now, but we're here. I mean, I did fly all the way here just for you," he said with a smile.

'Don't remind me,' she guiltily thought to herself. She forced a smile. "I know. I can't believe you did this."

"I missed my favorite lady. What can I say?"

'Lady?' she thought to herself. 'Has he met me?'

Part of Dallas really wanted to be happy and fell special. Truly, a part of her did. But the other part knew that she couldn't handle something romantic…or…really anything that was more than mindless, unattached fun. She didn't do the whole commitment thing. Or trust. Definitely nothing involving having to fully trust a person. She trusted very few people in her life. Saraya, Mercedes, Zach, Claudio, and Grant being the few. Those were the only people she trusted. There were people she was close with, but there was still a certain hesitation about letting her guard down. She used to trust Kevin and Rami, but that hadn't really worked out so well for her. There were also people from her past who knew some of her story, but she wouldn't trust, simply because she wasn't a trusting person. Becky, Ashley, and the other women were really important to her. She trusted them to a point, but there were certain insecurities she didn't want to discuss, certain parts of her past that she didn't want to talk about. Besides, the last thing that she needed to do was talk about her past. And the people she trusted in her life knew that. She couldn't let Tom in. It was too much for her to handle. As difficult as it was for her, Dallas was going to put forth the effort to have fun with him, while Tom was around. But she had no plans of letting him in her small circle of trusted friends. Not to mention that the last thing she wanted was a boyfriend.


	24. Chapter 24

Rolling With the Punches

Chapter 24

Disclaimer: I do not own anyone but my original characters and the actual meat of the story because I made it up. Yes, I know that means I'm evil and twisted in the head, but I've learned to accept that. So, please don't steal this, and that's pretty much that. Also, please don't sue me. I'm poor, anyway, so it's not like you'll get much from me…other than a collection of notebooks. So, it's really not worth the effort.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello loves! First off, a massive thank you for the awesome reviews: MsConCon (First of all, thank you for your amazing review. You cannot imagine how big the smile on my face was when I read it. Secondly, when I clicked on your name, I realized who you are from AO3, so trust me, you're an amazing writer yourself, and I'm a huge fan of yours :) But seriously, thank you so much! As for the health stuff, I think I'm finally alright lol you know, when one thing happens, everything else does, too, but I should be good now. Thanks!), my anonymous guest (yeah...he's not getting it), and DenyingTheTruth (Oh trust me, karma is going to kick the shit out of him very soon ;) He'll see the light...hopefully...). I cannot tell you how lucky I feel to have such amazing readers. You guys are the fucking best. True story. Don't be shy, please leave a review, let me know what you're thinking. Love you guys! XoXoXo**

* * *

After the show, Dallas was going out for a drink with Tom. She invited Saraya, wanting to have her there, so it felt less like she was out on a date with him and more like a bunch of friends just hanging out. But no such luck.

The pair made their way to a bar near the hotel. It was more of a sports bar and was actually pretty nice. They sat at a high top table and ordered their drinks.

"You look nice," Tom spoke.

Dallas had gone out of her way to look as casual as she possibly could. She had on a pair of dark denim skinny jeans, a fitted Motley Crüe t-shirt, and a pair of her low-top black and white Converses. She hadn't put much effort in, at all.

"Thanks," she said with a small smile.

"You seem a little off tonight," he commented.

She cocked an eyebrow. "Oh? How so?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. Is everything okay?"

No. "I guess, I mean…I've just got a lot going on."

"Has Good been behaving?"

'Jon. Ugh. He had to bring him up. Of fucking course,' she thought with a certain level of irritation for him thinking he had any right to talk about him. Dallas didn't know why she was so concerned with Tom bringing Jon up. But for whatever reason, it irritated her. "He's been himself, only less annoying, for the most part," she replied, trying to mask her annoyance. She also found herself wishing that she would be able to squeeze in some time with the pain in the ass that night, but now that wouldn't be happening…not with Tom around. He had to ruin it for her.

"Well, that's good."

She forced a smile. "Yeah. Maybe he found someone else to bother," she commented and immediately found herself getting jealous, thinking of the idea that he was screwing around with someone else. Dallas knew it was irrational, considering that she was still doing her own thing, regardless of what she had done with Jon.

The waitress brought their beers over to the table. They both took drinks of their beverages. "Can I asked you a weird question?" Tom asked her.

"Sure," she replied, unsure of where this was heading.

"Was I being too forward by coming out here to see you?"

To tell the truth or not to tell the truth. Dallas was now conflicted as to how to reply to his question. She was certainly caught off guard by it. But she decided to be half honest with him. "Oh…um…I mean, a little, I guess. I dunno. I like you, Tom. I've told you that. And I am happy that you're here. I just don't want to mislead you or anything. You know…I'm not really cut out for that kind of thing," she explained. "But you're such a sweet guy. I love hanging out with you…and sleeping with you. Not to sound like a dick, but…I'm just…I'm seriously damaged goods. I tried the whole relationship thing, and it was great…until it wasn't. So, I uh…I'm glad that you're here. I just don't want you to feel like we're gonna necessarily…be much more than friends." She was trying to be as careful as she could with her words and explain herself in the best way without giving too much away. And telling him that she was banging Jon and rather enjoying it didn't seem quite the route to go down.

He nodded. "I know…I just really enjoy being with you, Dal. You're perfect to me. And I just want a chance to show you that we can be great together."

"Listen, Tom, I appreciate that. I want you to understand that…" She took a deep breath and let it out. "My past isn't pretty…and by not pretty, I mean, it's a fucking shit show. And it's made me…difficult. I don't open up to many people. And…that'll never change."

"I can prove to you that I'm not going anywhere."

"That's really sweet of you to say, but I don't think you understand. I'm seriously damaged goods, Tom. Think of the worst you can possibly imagine my past to be…it's a lot worse than that. Like…a hell of a lot worse than that. And you're an incredible guy. You deserve someone who isn't as fucked up as I am," she told him.

"Well, we can just…see what happens, right?"

"I guess, but I just don't want you thinking that this is something that'll turn into something else." Dallas paused. "I'm just trying to be honest with you. I'm happy that you're here. I'm glad we can have some beers and shit. I love this. But…I'm a mess, and I'm not relationship material," she explained. "Especially right now."

"Alright…so if I promise not to pressure you into anything, and we just kind of hang out, we're good?"

"Yeah…" she agreed, believing that he really wasn't getting what she was telling him. But it was on him now because she tried to make him understand where her head was. If he chose to ignore that, it was on him.

Dallas really wasn't trying to mislead him at all. She didn't want to end up hurting him either. Tom was a good guy, and she genuinely liked him as a person…and even a fuck buddy. But she wasn't in a place, mentally or emotionally, to give him more than that. And she could see that he was disappointed.

"I can do that," he breathed.

"I'm really sorry, Tom."

"Don't be. You've been honest with me from the start. You have nothing to be sorry for." She gave him a small smile. She legitimately felt bad for having to let him down. "You should give yourself more credit, Dallas. You're a pretty awesome person."

"You're a pretty awesome guy, Tom. Any woman would be lucky to have you…as anything." She meant that. But she knew full well she wasn't going to be that woman. Besides, she was too preoccupied with a dickhead who did nothing but irritate and annoy her…and have incredible sex with her.

* * *

"Do you have a room at the hotel?" Dallas questioned, as she and Tom headed back to the hotel in his rented car.

"Uh…no. Not exactly. I was hoping that I could uh…stay with you," he replied with a sheepish smile.

"Oh…uh…sure," she replied. Of course he didn't have a room of his own. This was going to be awkward. She had no plans to sleep with him, but she was sure that the rumors would be flying around about the two of them.

"Cool. Thanks."

Dallas knew that she was in trouble now. Having Tom in her hotel room could only mean one thing. And while she had already slept with him and was not at all exclusive with Jon…and never would be either, she knew that there was no way in hell she would be able to give up her…antics with Jon. No matter how much she insisted she was going to. And it wouldn't be fair of her to sleep with Tom again, if she wasn't planning on being exclusive with him, knowing that was what he wanted.

Tom pulled into the hotel parking lot and quickly found a spot. He parked the car and got out, grabbing his bag out of the trunk, as well as Dallas's, as they had gone to the bar straight from the show that night.

They headed into the hotel. Dallas led Tom to the elevator. She pushed the 'Up' button. Within a couple of moments, the door opened. The two got inside. She pushed the button for the fourth floor. The elevator closed with only the two of them inside of it. Dallas suddenly felt very nervous. She wasn't sure what to expect. Being alone with him didn't feel right. In fact, she felt like she was doing something wrong.

Once the elevator doors opened, the two walked out onto the floor and headed down the hallway to her room. Turning the corner, at that exact moment, she saw none other than Jon walking towards them. And Dallas wanted to die at that very moment. This was not what she wanted him to see.

There was something in the way that he looked at her that made her sad and caused a lump to form in her throat. And she wasn't sure why that happened. Maybe it was because she knew that she wanted to spend another night with him. Maybe…just maybe she was feeling guilty. Essentially, she was sleeping with the both of them, although, she wasn't planning on doing it with Tom again…eve. While Tom didn't know that she was screwing around with Jon, Jon certainly knew what was going on. And she felt badly for it all.

Maybe it was the disappointment in his eyes that got to her. For once, Jon didn't say anything. He just walked right passed her. She frowned when they stopped in front of her door. Dallas unlocked the door and opened it. They headed inside. Tom shut the door behind himself.

Dallas's eyes found their way to the bed. Freshly made now, but this morning, she and Jon had been there. She quickly shook the thoughts out of her head. She pulled her cell phone out of her bag. She noticed that she had a couple of new text messages.

'Hey. What are you up to?'

'Where are you? I stopped by your room. Are you ignoring me?'

'Oh come on, Dallas! I have a friend who wants to play with you.'

'Sorry. Didn't realize it was date night.'

All from Jon. Of fucking course.

"Is it cool if I take a shower?" Tom asked.

"Yeah. Of course," she replied, giving him a smile.

"Thanks."

Once Tom was in the bathroom, she waited to hear the water spray turn on, before sitting on the bed. She took a deep breath and called Jon's cell phone.

"What?" was the greeting she received, after the second ring. His voice wasn't harsh, just a bit curt.

"I'm sorry. I didn't see your messages until just now."

"It's fine. I heard that your boyfriend came to visit. I should've known. No big deal," he replied, as if he didn't care.

Dallas rolled her eyes. "It's not like that. I told you that."

"Oh really? He flew all the way here to see you, when there's nothing going on between you guys? Right. Listen, you have your lay of the night, I'll go find my own. No harm, no foul," he casually told her.

"Where are you going?"

"I dunno yet."

"Can I meet you in your room?"

"Why?"

"To Talk."

"Dallas, we don't talk. We only do one thing."

For whatever reason, that hurt. "Fine, then. Forget it." Dallas felt like an idiot. She wasn't sure why she cared so much about the situation.

"Fine."

She shook her head and ended the call. Dallas was completely confused by her conversation with Jon. She wasn't quite sure what she was feeling, at the moment. But she sure as hell didn't like it one bit.

Quickly changing into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, Dallas took her makeup off, tossed her hair up and climbed into bed. There was no way in hell she would be sleeping with Tom. It wasn't anything against him. Hell, she knew she should prefer Tom over Jon. But for whatever reason, it really wasn't turning out that way.

* * *

"Who were you talking to?" Joe asked, walking out of the bathroom and into the main room of the hotel room they were sharing.

"No one," Jon quickly responded, shoving the phone in his pocket.

"Bullshit. Was it Dallas?" the Samoan teased.

"No."

Joe raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"No."

"Man, you've got it bad for her. I told you."

"No, I don't. She's the one who called me."

"Why?"

"Well…because I may have texted her a couple of times…"

"So, why won't you just admit it?"

"Admit what?"

"That you like her."

"Probably because I don't like her…at all."

Joe rolled his eyes at his best friend. "That's a lie, if I've ever heard one."

"No, it isn't."

"Bullshit, man. You're hooked on her. And you know it, you're just too damn stubborn to admit it. Usually, by now, you'd have found someone to spend your night with. But ever since you two started your thing, you've only been with her. That's not like you at all, Jonny Boy. You bitch about her constantly. You sound like a kid who pulls a girl's hair because he likes her. Man, you're so hooked. And you know, there's really nothing wrong with that. Just own it. Don't be a bitch about it," he spoke, trying to get Jon to admit how he really felt.

"That's not it at all. Listen, she's hot. She's a great fuck. Absolutely. But that's all it is. It's like now you're married, and you want me to get on that level, but it'll never happen, my man. Jon Good doesn't settle down, and he sure as fuck doesn't fall in love."

Joe rolled his eyes. "You're so dramatic about everything. But I think you're falling for someone."

"You're out of your mind."

"No. You're out of your mind, if you think I believe that bullshit you keep trying to feed me. Quite frankly, you and Dallas are a great match."

"We're not," Jon refused, shaking his head.

"You might not see it because your head is so far up your ass, but everyone else sure as hell does."

"No. And why are you so annoying?"

"Because you're being too much of a pussy to admit that you like her…like it's such a big fucking deal to like someone."

"It wouldn't be such a big deal, if it was true. But it's not," Jon argued.

"Sure. So, what were you and Dallas talking about?"

"I uh…fuck. I texted her about fucking tonight. And then, I ran into her in the hallway with that fucking douchebag boyfriend of hers, Tom. And she called me to…I dunno…apologize for ignoring me or whatever. She said she wanted to talk, but I told her it wasn't necessary because we're not like that. And she hung up on me."

Joe laughed. "You two are fuckin' crazy about each other. It's actually pretty adorable to watch this go down."

"Shut the fuck up," Jon breathed.

"This is too good."

"I'm going to bed," he huffed.

"Goodnight. Enjoy your dreams of Dallas."

"Asshole," Jon mumbled.


	25. Chapter 25

Rolling With the Punches

Chapter 25

Disclaimer: This isn't real. It didn't happen. It's all fiction. I own Dallas, Zach, and any other OCs that may pop up. Other than that, everyone else owns themselves. I own this story because I wrote it and all of that fun stuff.

* * *

 **A/N: I don't know how you guys keep doing it, but I have a problem with compulsive updates. I can't even type this all up fast enough lol Anyways, a massive thank you for the awesome reviews I received: Eliska (A bunch of troublemakers we have here lol), LetitReigns525 (Those two are always going back and forth lol), my anonymous guest (Thanks!), and MsConCon (First of all, seriously, thank you so much...coming from someone who I enjoy reading, I really appreciate you reading what I'm writing :) Secondly, Tom can not seem to take the hint...and by hint I mean blatant rejection lol and Jon is trying to get under Dallas's skin...I'm pretty sure it's working. Those two are a mess lol). Let me know what you guys think, as we move forward with these crazy kids. And I love reviews, as I'm sure you're all figuring out, they get me all excited, and they I can't help but update sooner than I've planned lol Love you guys! XoXoXo**

* * *

The next morning, Dallas woke up with a body wrapped around hers. Tom had her in his arms. She wasn't really sure how that happened…or how to feel about it, but she had to admit to herself, it was nice to be held. For whatever reason, while Dallas wasn't into relationships or commitments of any kind, really, she loved being held. She wasn't sure why that was, and she certainly wasn't going to admit it to anyone.

Then, a frown quickly took over her features. She was still not feeling right about things with Jon. It was bothering her a lot more than she knew that it should. There wasn't anything going on with Jon other than the fact that they were sleeping together. But there was something about the expression on his face when he saw her with Tom that really got to her.

Carefully slipping out of Tom's arms, so as not to disturb him, Dallas got up and changed into a pair of black yoga short and a white fitted tank top. She carelessly threw her hair up, wanting it out of her face. Slipping on a pair of socks and sneakers, she pulled her wristlet out of her suitcase. She put her keycard, cell phone, money, iPod, and earbuds into it. She grabbed the hotel stationary and jotted down a quick note to Tom, placing it on the pillow that her head had been on a few minutes earlier. She grabbed a bottle of water out of the mini-refrigerator.

Dallas quietly left the room and headed down to the hotel's gym. She headed right for the treadmill. She put her stuff in the holders that were on the equipment. She put her earbuds in her ears and let the oddly comforting sounds of Gallows blast in her ears.

Beginning to jog, Dallas tried to push all thoughts of Jon Good out of her mind. She didn't need him anyway. He was nothing but a headache for her. As "The Great Forgiver" blared in her ears, she began picking up her pace. The music was loud and clouded her thoughts…exactly what she had been aiming for. She preferred to not be able to think.

Noticing movement around her, Dallas glanced over, only to find Jon leaning on the machine next to her. He gave her one of his sarcastic smiles. Rolling her eyes, she turned away from him and put the volume of her music up even louder. The sound of Frank Carter screaming in her ears wasn't enough of a distraction from him. Clearly, Jon wasn't moving any time soon. He looked like he was waiting for her or something. She continued trying to ignore him, though it was difficult when her thoughts had been stuck on him for a lot longer than she would care to admit.

Finally, he reached over to her machine and hit the pause button, stopping her workout. She stopped her jog, pulling her earbuds out of her ears. Her hands found their way onto her hips. "What do you want?" she impatiently questioned him.

"Jeeze. Good morning to you, too."

"What do you want, Mox?"

"Well, first of all, I'd like you to stop calling me that."

"Nope."

"You wanted to talk to me. Let's talk."

"Mmm. No. I don't want to talk to you anymore. I have nothing left to say," she stubbornly replied.

"Why not? Is it because you're too worn out from your long night of banging Tommy Boy?" he bitterly asked.

"What the hell is your problem? Are you fucking jealous of him?" Dallas sneered, correctly sensing some hostility on his end.

"Why the fuck would I be jealous of him? Because he's the one fucking you now? The way I see it, I can get an easy replacement for you."

Dallas rolled her eyes, though that did sting quite a bit. "Well, good for you."

"You're not the only one who's easy around here."

"Lucky you."

"Did Tommy Boy enjoy getting in there the night after I was…taking care of it? Did I loosen ya up for him?"

"First of all, he's bigger than you, so even if you loosened me up," she used air quotes over the last three words, "you wouldn't have done that much. And secondly, I didn't fuck him last night, you prick."

"First of all, thanks for telling me I have a small dick. Since you're the only person to ever tell me that, I just have to assume you're a bigger whore than anyone I've ever fucked before, which is actually impressive. Secondly—"

"I didn't say that," she cut him off. "All I said is that he's bigger. I also didn't say that it was necessarily a good thing."

An amused smile crossed Jon's face. "So, how would you describe the size of my dick, Dallas?" he questioned.

"We're not doing this."

"Oh come on. Have a little fun." He climbed onto the treadmill with her, backing her up against the side rail.

"What?"

"Tell me."

She rolled her eyes. "Can we quit playing this stupid game?"

"I'm not playing any game, Dal. Just tell me." His body was nearly pressed up against hers, and it was distracting her from having any coherent thoughts.

Dallas placed her hand on his chest and pushed him back slightly. "We can't do this shit anymore, Mox," she insisted, though there was a complete lack of confidence in her voice, which amused Jon.

He brought a hand onto her hip, pulling her towards him. "You know you love it, Dal. Stop trying to resist. Tell me…do you like my dick better than Tommy Boy's?"

"Get off of my treadmill," she spoke, her voice small.

"You wanna come to my hotel room?" he offered. "Joe's in there, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind giving us some privacy. I can help you with your cardio."

"No…"

He chuckled. "I think you do." His hand traveled onto her lower back, and then, onto her ass, squeezing it.

"If you don't get off this treadmill, I won't even consider the possibility of sleeping with you ever again."

Jon frowned. "You're no fun."

"I'm trying to work on my cardio."

"The invitation still stands. I can work on that with you."

"No," she flatly denied.

"Fine," he breathed. "But tell me…"

"Tell you what?" she groaned. "How annoying you are?"

"Oh trust me, I know that already. Tell me if Tommy Boy is bigger, then, why do you keep letting me inside?"

"Fine," she relented, knowing that she wasn't going to get him to leave her alone until she answered him. "Because you're big…but not too big. Your dick is perfect," she admitted, her eyes avoiding his.

Jon smiled. "There. That wasn't so hard, was it? Thank you. You know, if you play your cards right, you can get your hands on this perfect dick again."

She rolled her eyes. "Go away."

Het let go of her and climbed off of the treadmill. "How long is loverboy here for?" he questioned her.

Shrugging, Dallas rolled her eyes at his name for Tom, while she shook her head. "I had no idea he was even flying out."

A smirk crossed Jon's face. "Oh. It was a romantic surprise, huh?" he teased her, knowing it was really pissing her off.

"I guess that was his intention. I dunno. I told him that I don't do relationships, though. Actually, I told him that when we were in Orlando, but I guess he didn't care because I had to explain it to him again last night."

Jon chuckled. "You've got yourself a clinger?"

"The thing is…Tom is such a great guy. I'm just…not…I don't do relationships…or feelings…or trust…none of that shit." She paused and shook her head at herself. "I don't even know why I'm telling you any of this."

"Why don't you do that shit? Did Steen damage you for life?" he questioned her, a smirk playing on his lips.

"I was damaged way before that assclown came into the picture," she replied, her voice hostile, as she glared at him.

"Oh yeah? How so?"

Dallas shook her head. "It's nothing important."

"I find that hard to believe."

"I really don't want to talk about it," Dallas snapped.

"Whoa. Hit a nerve, huh?"

"Mox, I'm not talking to you about this."

"Why not?"

"Because…I don't even like you."

"How is it that so many people know your story, but no one will talk about it?" he questioned her.

"Excuse me?"

"Grant wouldn't tell me. Colby won't."

"Why are you asking them about it?" she asked him, her tone increasing in hostility. The last thing she needed was for him to be asking about her past.

"Because…I'm curious. When people don't want to tell me, that's how I know it's gotta be a good story."

Dallas practically saw red. "A good story? You're looking for a good fucking story?" She laughed bitterly. "A good fuckin' story? You know what? You're a real fuckin' asshole, Mox. My life isn't a goddamn joke for you to gossip about."

"Calm your tits. I didn't have it easy either," he defensively shot back.

"Don't you dare ask anyone about my life. If I wanted you to know, you'd know," she shot. "Now, please fuck off."

"Who the hell damaged you?" he questioned incredulously.

This was absolutely one of those 'if looks could kill' situations. Jon felt it. He opted it was best to keep his mouth shut, before digging himself an even deeper grave. When Dallas stopped giving him the death glare, she put her earbuds back in her ears and focused her anger on the treadmill, going from the brisk jog to a full on run.

Confused by what had transpired between them, Jon walked out of the hotel gym and want back to the room he was sharing with Joe.

* * *

About twenty minutes after Jon left the gym, Tom entered. He stepped next to the machine that Dallas was on, a small smile on his face. Dallas pulled her earbuds out of her ears and paused the machine.

"Hey," she greeted.

"Good morning," he reciprocated. "You could've woken me up, ya know."

She smiled. "I didn't want to do that. You looked comfortable." Dallas paused. "Sorry I fell asleep last night."

He shrugged. "No big deal. You were tired." Tom examined her face. "Are you alright? You look pissed."

"Oh." Dallas rolled her eyes. "It's nothing. I'm fine."

"Okay…" He opted not to press her on the matter, something she appreciated…not that she would have told him about her interaction with Jon anyway. "So, what's on the agenda for today?" he asked.

"Um…well, just traveling, I guess. We have to be out of here by ten," she told him.

"Okay." He glanced at the clock on the wall. "And we have about two hours until we have to go. I guess I should get a little workout in, too. Is it uh…is it cool if I ride with you, or…?"

"Yeah. Of course."

"Cool. I'll call the rental place. I'll have them pick up your car, and I'll drive," he offered.

She smiled. "Are you trying to butter me up, Pestock?"

"Why wouldn't I?" he teased.

"You're cute. You're good people to have around."

"Thanks."

* * *

Tom was driving the rental car. Dallas was in the passenger seat. The two were having a good time, talking and listening to music. She was still irritated with Jon, even though he really didn't do anything wrong. She knew that. She just didn't want to talk about her past, and it pissed her off that he couldn't just let the subject go, when she made that clear.

As if reading her thoughts, Dallas's phone buzzed in her bag. She grabbed it and turned the screen on, before opening the text message.

'Sorry for being a dick. I won't ask anyone else,' it read.

'It's fine. I wasn't trying to be a bitch. I just don't like talking about it.'

'Understandable.' A moment later, she got another message from him. She hated how it made her feel every time she received a message from him. 'Riding with loverboy?'

'If you mean Tom, yes.'

'You'd have more fun with me.'

'You can't safely have sex while driving.'

'I wasn't talking about that. But there's no fun in being safe anyway.'

'Why would we ever ride together? We don't even like each other.'

'We hate each other. Right?'

'I hate very few people on this planet. You are not one of them.'

'Oh really? Since when? I was pretty sure you hated me this morning.'

'I was angry, but it wasn't your fault.'

'I was being nosy. I've been hanging around Lopez too much.'

'It's fine. Besides, you didn't find out anything that I didn't want you to know. No harm, no foul.'

'Why is it such an issue?'

'Because there are certain things you don't talk about or tell people.'

'Like what?'

'Don't. It's bad enough that people know as it is.'

'How do they know?'

'It's a whole thing. It wasn't by choice.'

'Is it really that bad?'

'Yes. Worse actually.'

'Can you sneak away from loverboy tonight?'

'He's not my lover. So, yes, I can.'

'I'll kick Joe out of the room.'

'You're a little forward, aren't you?'

'Who said I was trying to bang you?'

'What else would you want with me in your room?'

'To talk? Hang out? Like normal people.'

'You don't like me…outside of being inside of me.'

'I've warmed up to you.'

'Oh yeah?'

'A lot of people have some very positive things to say about you.'

'Like who?'

'Claudio. Colby. Renee.'

'Claudio is one of my best friends. He's biased. Colby is a good guy. Renee is awesome. I haven't known her very long, but she's the best.'

'How are you and Claudio so close?'

'ROH.'

'Oh yeah. Look at you, indie darling.'

'LOL. Yeah. I don't know about that.'

'You are. I've heard a lot about you. Joe helped me YouTube you a little. Watched some of your promos. You're a bad ass with a great ass. I'm going to have to watch some of your matches, at some point.'

'You can compliment me without hitting on me, ya know.'

'But where's the fun in that?'

'But seriously…from what I've seen…you're good.'

'Thanks. You're pretty good yourself.'

'Thank you, pretty lady.'

Dallas smiled to herself but quickly wiped it off of her face. 'More compliments? Wow. Thank you.'

'You know you're beautiful. Don't play dumb.'

'Are you flirting with me, Moxley?'

'Should I stop?'

'Not if you don't want to.'

'Did you find out when loverboy is leaving yet?'

'Nope.'

'When he's gone, we'll hang out. I promise I'm fun…even with my clothes on.'

'I guess I'll have to wait and find out.'

'You will. I promise.'


	26. Chapter 26

Rolling With the Punches

Chapter 26

Disclaimer: This is not real. It didn't happen. It's fiction.

* * *

 **A/N: You make it impossible for me to not update quickly. A huge thank you to: DenyingTheTruth (Oh just you wait... ;) I'm evil...), LetitReigns525 (Haha! Don't wake up the family! :) I'm curious as to how you'll react to this one.), and MsConCon (Your reviews have all put a huge smile on my face. Your review is what prompted me to not wait until tomorrow to update :) So, thank you!). Alright, fair warning, we'll find out more about Dallas in the future chapters, but I'm even considering that I made it a little too dark. I don't know...I just hope none of you hate me for it lol Anyways, we have some developments in this chapter, and please, let me know what you think :) I'm dying for your reactions! Love you guys XoXoXo**

* * *

Once everyone had checked into the hotel, Tom and Dallas were in her room. She was looking for an opening to allow her to meet up with Jon. She felt bad because Tom was really sweet, but she was well aware that she couldn't give him what he wanted. Quite frankly, she knew that he should also be well aware of that fact, as she had told him…repeatedly.

"So, a couple of the guys invited me to go get drinks with them, when we were in the lobby. Is it…cool with you, if I go?" he asked. Whoever those guys were, she knew she would have to thank them.

"Of course."

"You wanna come?"

"Who's going?" she questioned, pretending to care.

"Joe Anoa'i, Colby…um…I'm not sure who else." Suddenly, Dallas had an idea of how that invitation came to be.

"Eh. I think I'll stay in. I'm not feeling too great anyway."

"Do you need me to stay with you?"

"No. No. Don't be ridiculous. It's a headache…and uh…cramps," she replied with a grimace. She didn't exactly want to go around advertising what week of the month it was for her, as of that morning.

"Oh…well, I can still stay with you, if you'd like, Dal. You know I wouldn't mind at all," he offered.

"It's not necessary."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. Go. Have fun."

"Alright. I'll be back a little later."

"Sounds good."

With that, Tom headed out. Dallas went right for her phone, only to find she had a text message already waiting for her.

'I owe Joe big time, but there's a chance I might have gotten you some freedom from your loverboy.'

'You're good.'

'Come to 527. Please.'

'I'll be right there.'

Dallas quickly checked herself in the mirror. She had on a pair of dark gray, baggy sweatpants that hung low on her hips and a white, fitted, short-sleeved top. She had minimal makeup on, just some foundation and eyeliner. Her hair was up in a ponytail. She looked alright. She didn't want to look like she was putting in any effort to hang out with Jon or anything.

Dallas waited a couple of minutes, before grabbing her keycard and cell phone and heading to Jon's room.

She hadn't been standing in front of his door for long enough to knock, before it flew open. "Hi," Jon greeted.

"Hey."

"Come in," he said, opening the door a little more.

She acquiesced, and he closed the door behind her. "So, is there any reason you and Joe are sharing a room?"

"Cheaper," he replied with a shrug.

"Fair enough."

She sat on the couch. Jon sat next to her. "You look cute," he told her.

"What's with you and the compliments, Mox?" she teasingly asked.

"I guess you're starting to grow on me."

She gave him a look. "So, you convinced Joe to bring Tom out?" she questioned him with a smirk.

"Yeah. Figured I'd have to something a little drastic to get to spend some time with you," he replied with a shrug.

"Why are you trying to spend time with me?"

"Because…I'm trying to earn that kiss," he answered, a playful tone lacing his words.

"Oh yeah? And how do you plan on doing that?"

"I guess you'll have to wait and find out."

She smiled. "Well then…"

"Joe's been teasing me about you."

"Why?"

"He thinks I like you."

"You don't?"

"No. Wait. I mean…ugh…I like you. But you know, I mean…he means that I like you…like I have a crush on you or some shit."

"Oh…he doesn't realize that that's not how we work?"

"I dunno," he replied, shaking his head. "Can I say something? And I don't want you to get mad at me for bringing it up."

"Okay…"

"You really don't phase me as the kind of person who had it rough. I know everyone vouches for you and everything. But…look at you. You're beautiful. You have a really nice house. You're smart. You're funny. I just…I can't imagine that you could've really had it so bad."

"Trust me, Mox, you have no idea what I went through. I lived in hell for years. I mean…my life…it was…it was just a living hell…until I was fifteen. That's when Zach got me out of there and had me live with him. And life got a lot better from there. But…from seven to fifteen…" She shook her head. "It was horrible."

"What happened?" he asked.

"I don't wanna talk about it," she simply replied.

"Okay."

"Why'd you start this shit up with me?" Dallas questioned.

Jon shrugged. "I dunno. I was having a lot of fun pissing you off when we were on the plane…and….I dunno what did it, but I ended up with a boner. That's when it hit me that I wanted a piece of you."

She smiled. "And now?"

"Now, I'm a lucky fucking man."

A chuckle escaped her lips. "Oh yeah? Because you've banged me?"

"Multiple times…and you are in my hotel room right now."

"You're not getting laid tonight."

"Oh? Why not?"

Dallas thought for a moment. "To put it nicely, because my uterus is falling out," she replied, trying to gross him out.

"Wha—ew. That's gross."

She gave him a cheery smile. "Well, there are options…would you rather I have my period or be pregnant?" she asked him.

"Fair enough. You win," Jon relented.

"Thank you."

"So, I know this is weird to bring up now, since we've fucked a few times already, but uh…are you on something, or…?"

"Yeah. I'm on birth control. Have been for years. You have nothing to worry about." She paused. "And you're actually the only person I've never used…anything else with. As weird as that is, actually is. Kevin was paranoid that I'd end up pregnant, which is actually pretty ironic considering the fact that he knocked up his side bitch."

"Really?"

Dallas nodded. "Yeah."

"That is weird. I haven't gone without a love glove for…years…a lot of years. So, you must be special or something."

She smirked. "Oh? Now, I'm special?"

Jon shrugged. "Guess so."

"Well, then…thank you."

He smiled. "I should be thanking you. I didn't think you'd actually end up coming here to hang out with me."

"Why not?"

"Because…I mean…look at you. What are the chances that someone like you would even want to hang out with someone like me?"

"Someone like me?"

"Yeah."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're the kind of girl who goes for guys who aren't…me."

She chuckled. "I don't even know what you're trying to say."

"You're too good to be hanging out with me."

Dallas rolled her eyes. "Bullshit. We're a lot more alike than I like to admit out loud," she replied, raising an eyebrow at him. "Besides, even when we're fighting, I have a lot of fun when I'm with you."

"Really?"

She nodded. "Yeah. We play off of each other really well."

"We do."

"So, you have a plan for this?"

"For what?"

"Tonight."

"Oh…no."

She laughed. "Really? You got me here. Is that as far as your plan takes you?"

"I thought it would end before you even walked through the door."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you."

Jon gave her a half smile. "Trust me, Dallas, I'm as far from disappointed as I could be. You've made my night just by showing up."

She smiled. "I'm glad I could do that for you."

* * *

Jon was sitting on the couch with Dallas's legs over his lap. The pair had been talking and joking around for the last hour and a half. It was comfortable. They didn't have any awkward silences. It was as if they had known each other for years, considering how they had been with each other. And as badly as Jon wanted her, he was perfectly content with spending the night like this with her. She was pretty cool, and he was happy that she was even giving him the time of day.

"No. That's ridiculous. You're fucking crazy," Dallas told him, her eyes widened.

He laughed at her reaction. "I've heard that. But it's true. I sewed it back on myself," he replied with a shrug.

"You're a crazy son of a bitch," she said, shaking her head.

"I sure as hell am," he proudly told her.

"I like that about you."

A smile crossed his lips. "Yeah?"

"You're out of your mind. For whatever reason, I find it sexy," she told him.

"So, you think I'm sexy?"

"Well…yeah."

"Thanks. You're not too bad yourself, kiddo."

"Kiddo?"

He chuckled and pulled her onto his lap, straddling him. "I like hanging out with you, Dal. You're pretty cool."

"You're fun…even with your clothes on. You were right. I like that."

Their eyes locked. Dallas and Jon leaned in towards each other, only seconds away from finally kissing. She brought her hand onto his face.

It was at that precise moment that Jon's cell phone rang. "Fuck," he groaned, glancing at the screen. "It's Joe." She nodded. He took the call. "What?"

"Hello to you, too. Tom's in the bathroom. He's gonna head back to the hotel when he's out," he told him.

"Fuck."

"Sorry, man."

"It's cool. Thanks for the heads up."

"Of course. Later."

"Bye." Jon ended the call, tossing his cell phone aside. "Tommy Boy's gonna leave the bar and head back," he told her.

Dallas frowned. "I guess I should be going, then," she said.

"Yeah," he replied, clearly disappointed.

Hesitating for a moment, Dallas got up off of his lap. She grabbed her phone and keycard. Jon stood up. He led her to the door. Before opening it, he brought a hand onto her hip. "I had fun with you tonight, Dal."

"Me, too," she replied.

Jon leaned in and pressed a kiss to her cheek. She smiled at him. Jon opened the door. "I'll see ya."

"Bye, Mox." With that, Dallas headed back to her room. Truth be told. She was disappointed. She had a great night with Jon. She didn't want it to end.

When Dallas made it back to her room, she turned the television on. She quickly took off her makeup and crawled into the bed. Her phone buzzed next to her.

Picking it up, she saw that she had a text message from Jon. Dallas opened it. 'We should do that again sometime. I had a great night with you, pretty lady.'

A smile crossed her lips. 'We should. Thanks for not being an asshole. I really had a lot of fun, Mox.'

'Can I be honest with you?'

'As opposed to lying?'

'True.' A couple of moments later, she received another message from him. 'I really wish you were still here.'

Dallas absentmindedly sighed. 'Me, too.'

'I hope loverboy goes home soon.'

'Yeah. And my period goes away.'

'You had it tonight, and we still managed to enjoy each other's company.'

'True. But we both know that hanging out and talking wasn't what you invited me over for,' she replied.

'I didn't know that.'

'Well, now you do.'

'Why?'

'Why what?'

'Why would you invited me over for anything but sex?'

'Because you're pretty cool. We can be friends and sleep together. Right?'

'I guess.'

'Would you rather not?'

'I had a bad experience with that. But I mean, I could give it a shot, as long as you promise not to catch feelings.'

'I can't promise that.'

His response caught her by surprise. He couldn't promise that? What was that supposed to mean? Did he have feelings for her? The thoughts began running through her head, and she hesitated before finally responding.

'Why not?'

'Because you're amazing in bed. You're cool to hang out with. You're not clingy. You're perfect.'

Dallas sighed. Part of her felt butterflies in her stomach. The other part wanted to throw up at the implication that he had caught feelings. This was not a good situation. The part of her with the butterflies thought they would be a perfect match for each other. They had similar attitudes, similar personalities. They had a lot of chemistry. The sex was unbelievable. And she felt good when she was with him. She was comfortable and happy. Jon made her feel a level of relief, of comfort, of contentment that she hadn't felt since she had been with Kevin, but even then, this was different. The casual nature of their relationship made her feel at ease.

The other side of her knew that this was a terrible situation. It could only end one way…with things getting irreparably fucked up. She couldn't handle another shitshow. Dealing with Kevin's bullshit was more than enough for her. She didn't need to add more drama into her life, and that's what ultimately would happen.

'I don't know what to say to that. So, I'm just going to say goodnight, Mox.'

'Goodnight, pretty lady.'

As soon as Dallas put the phone down, she heard the door open. She immediately pretended to be asleep. It wasn't that she didn't want to see Tom. Her head was just full of overwhelming thoughts…and maybe she wasn't exactly thrilled to have to sneak around hanging out with Jon to avoid hurting Tom's feelings, seeing as he had invited himself to hang out with her. There was too much going on. Did Jon have feelings for her already? She couldn't handle how excited it made her…and how completely scared shitless she was, as well.

And the worst part was that Dallas couldn't stop thinking about what it'd be like to be with Jon. She got the tiniest taste of what that would be like the other morning, when she woke up with him. And another taste of it having just hung out with him. The entire situation was not panning out to be a good one. Dallas had no idea how to handle what she was feeling.

Feeling the bed shift, Dallas figured that Tom had made his way into the bed. "So beautiful," she heard him whisper.

Ah. That familiar feeling of guilt. There it was. If it wasn't for Jon, Dallas knew that things with Tom would probably be a lot different. She would be more likely to give him a chance if she didn't have the other one on her brain…and between her legs. Dallas felt Tom gently push her hair out of her face. There was no denying how great Tom was. He sure as hell didn't deserve being lied to. It wasn't that she was trying to lie to him, either. But she couldn't tell him that she was more than likely developing feelings for Jon.

She heard the television go silent and could tell he shut the lights off. Tom moved around in the bed, before there was nothing but silence and darkness. Dallas knew that she was screwed. She wasn't going to be able to get to sleep any time soon…not with her mind stuck on Jon and Tom in the bed next to her. She wasn't sure what to do. But she knew her life had just gotten even more complicated than it already was.


	27. Chapter 27

Rolling With the Punches

Chapter 27

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction.

* * *

 **A/N: Things are looking up for our favorite coupling. Thank you to my dear reviewers: My two anonymous guests, MsConCon, miamitravel (Love you sis), and LetitReigns525. I'm keeping this short because I'm trying to stay awake long enough to post this. I'm exhausted. I love you all. This one isn't as exciting as I'd like it to be, but it's setting up some stuff for the future updates. I'm trying to type as quickly as I can because I love you all so dearly. I have up to chapter 30 typed up. Up to 36 is written. I may not be able to update as quickly as I'd like to because I'm going to run out of chapters lol I'll do the best I can. The reviews inspire me to keep writing and typing as quickly as I can...so...you know, keep 'em coming. Love you guys XoXoXo**

* * *

"You don't have to go," Dallas lied, as she and Tom stood in the airport, at the gate, his flight just about ready to depart.

"Yeah. I've gotta get my ass to the Performance Center tomorrow. Plus, I have a show the night after that," he replied.

That morning, Tom had sprung it on her that he had a flight back to Orlando. Part of her knew that he was leaving so unexpectedly because things with her weren't going the way that he had planned for them to.

"Well, I'm glad you came out. I'm sorry I've been shitty company."

"You were great, as usual. Thank you for letting me tag along. I know you're busy and have a lot going on."

"Of course. I had fun with you, Tom."

He gave her a smile. "I had fun, too. And you know, Joe and Colby really like you. They were singing your praises last night."

She chuckled. "Oh really? I knew Colby liked me. I wasn't so sure about Joe."

"He actually made a comment about how you're so much like Good. I thought that was a little weird because you two can't stand each other, but…" He shrugged.

Dallas felt herself get momentarily distracted with thoughts of the Lunatic Fringe, before shaking them away. "Yeah. That's really weird."

"Anyway, I hope I get to see you soon."

She smiled. "I'm sure you will."

Tom wrapped his arms around Dallas. She wrapped hers around his torso. He bent down and kissed the top of her head. "Don't let any of those guys push you around."

Dallas laughed. "Yeah right. Fuck them."

He smiled. "I'll talk to you soon."

"Text me when you get home, so that I know you're alright."

"Okay."

"Bye, Tom."

"Bye, Dal," he said, as the two pulled apart. He picked up his carry-on bag and boarded the plane. Dallas headed out of the airport and to the arena for that night's show. She felt pretty guilty about things. She knew that they would have been good friends, but she doubted that Tom would be able to do that, considering it was obvious that he had feelings for her…on top of the fact that he had already told her he did.

* * *

"Hey Dal," Saraya greeted, as the brunette entered the locker room. She saw Mercedes, Becky, Ashley, and Danielle in there, as well.

"Hey ladies," she greeted them.

A collective wave of greetings were sent her way from the rest of her friends. She put her stuff down and sat in one of the cubbies.

"Where's the boy toy?" Saraya teasingly questioned.

"On a plane to Orlando," she replied.

"Uh oh. Trouble in paradise?" Mercedes teased.

Dallas rolled her eyes. "Oh God. I felt so bad because he's such a great guy and all. But…that was weird."

"What happened? I don't even know the story," Becky replied.

"Me neither," Danielle chimed in.

"Me three," Ashley agreed.

"Alright, well, you all know about the Kevin incident, right?"

"Of course," Danielle replied.

"Well, after that, I went to Orlando and stayed with Tom."

"I heard about that, too," Becky said.

"Well, while I was there, we went out and had a really great time. I slept with him. It was nice and all. But I explained that I couldn't do a relationship or anything like that, and he seemed pretty disappointed, but whatever. So, I let, and he showed up at the show the other night. And the thing is…he's really sweet, but I can't…"

"Why not?" Ashley asked.

"Dallas hates relationships," Saraya answered for her.

"Anyway, I made it clear to him that it wasn't gonna happen. And he seemed understanding, but…he's just very…affectionate. So…I dunno anymore."

"Did you sleep with him when he was here?" Danielle asked.

"Nope," Dallas replied, shaking her head.

"That's rough," Becky commented.

"Well, it doesn't help the situation that our girl Dallas here has a crush on someone else," Saraya teased.

"Who?!" Ashley asked.

"Yeah…who?" Dallas questioned, furrowing her brow.

"Jon," the former Diva's Champion replied.

The brunette rolled her eyes. "Oh God. No way. I don't have a crush on that fucking moron," she breathed.

"He has a crush on you," Mercedes teased her.

"Aren't you two mortal enemies or something?" Becky asked her.

"To put it nicely."

"Hey ladies," a familiar voice spoke from the doorway.

"Renee!" Dallas yelped. She stood up and ran over to her friend, giving her a hug, glad that there was a distraction from the topic of conversation.

"I'm bored and wanted to hang out with the cool kids."

"Great timing. We were just talking about Dallas and Jon," Saraya told her.

"Ohhh…" A smirk formed on the blonde's lips.

"Please," Dallas breathed, shaking her head.

"What?" Renee asked.

"Everyone's saying that we have crushes on each other, even though we don't…like we're in middle school," she explained.

"But he actually has one on you," Renee replied.

"Not you, too," she groaned. "He does not."

"Oh yes, he does. Trust me, I've been friends with him for a long time now. He has a huge crush on you."

"He doesn't," Dallas insisted.

"Who doesn't what?" an all-too familiar voice spoke, standing at the door.

"Nothing," the brunette quickly replied, feeling the heat rising to her cheeks, while Jon stood there.

Renee smirked. "Oh…you know…just talking about your crush on Dallas."

Dallas turned bright red. "He doesn't have a crush on me," she pouted.

"Who says I don't?" he asked.

"I say you don't," she sharply replied.

He grinned. "Well, what makes you think that?"

"We fight a lot."

Jon chuckled. "Yeah, but we're even better at making up, huh?"

Dallas shot him a glare. "What the hell is it with you giving me the bullshit about not running our mouths, yet you do it all the time?" she muttered.

"Because…maybe I've changed my mind. I don't need any more competition than I already have."

"I am so confused," Danielle admitted.

"Well, our pal, Dallas, here," he began. Jon took her by the shoulders and turned her to face her friend, before continuing, "and I…have been…hanging out," he told them.

"Hanging out?" Becky questioned.

"Well, hanging out…sleeping together. Same thing."

Dallas felt the heat coursing through her face. "Fucking asshole," she groaned.

"I knew that already!" Saraya declared.

"Me, too!" Mercedes joined in.

"But you two don't have any feelings for each other?" Renee mockingly asked.

"We don't. It's just sex," she defended herself, wishing that she could turn around and strangle Jon, without having to face the possibility of hard jail time.

"Speak for yourself," he teased her.

"I'm sorry. Excuse us," she said, grabbing Jon by his arm and pulling him out of the room. She led him down the hall to an empty room. She shut the door behind them, not needing everyone else to find out about what had been going on between the two.

"What the hell are you doing?" Dallas questioned.

"What?"

"What bullshit are you trying to pull here?"

"I'm not trying to pull any bullshit."

"Why are you acting like there's more to us?"

"Because there is. I thought I made that clear last night."

"Mox…we can't…"

Jon rolled his eyes. "We can. You're just being paranoid."

"No. I'm serious. And if I could be more with anyone, it sure as hell wouldn't be with you," she shot.

"Ouch. And who would it be with? Loverboy Tommy?"

"He'd be a better boyfriend than you would," she spat out of frustration.

Jon made a face. "Ouch. Again. That reminds me…where is Tommy Boy?"

"He went home."

A smile crossed his face. "Oh really?"

"Yeah."

"Interesting." Jon paused for a moment. "You really feel that way about me?" he questioned. Dallas remained silent. He was standing right in front of her. She couldn't think. It was difficult to maintain her composure around him, especially after the night before. Jon wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. "I need an answer from you, pretty lady." The hand around her waist moved to her lower back. He brought his other hand onto the back of her neck. "You really think Tom would be a better boyfriend than me?" he asked her.

Truthfully, Jon fully believed Tom would make a much better boyfriend than he would. He wasn't cut out for that kind of thing. Never had been. It wasn't something he really tried, but mostly because he enjoyed his freedom. Sure, it worked for some people, but he wasn't one of them. But having Dallas tell him she thought Tom would be better than him…it was a jab that hurt, regardless of how much he agreed with it. Not to mention, he enjoyed watching her squirm.

"I-I-I…I don't know," she stuttered.

Amused, Jon leaned down, his lips barely an inch away from hers. "We're perfect for each other. You know that, right, Dallas?"

She slowly nodded, not trusting her voice.

Jon pulled back, smirking. "You're going to Philly on Wednesday?"

"Yeah," she dryly replied, cursing herself for letting him have that kind of effect on her.

"Good. Don't be surprised if you have a visitor."

"I'm gonna be busy."

"You'll have time for me," he confidently replied.

"What makes you so sure of that?" she defiantly asked, gathering her courage.

"Oh come on, Dal. How can you resist me?"

She rolled her eyes. "When you're an arrogant dickhead, it isn't that difficult."

"We're too perfect for each other, Dal. Too perfect."

He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead, before letting go of her and leaving the room.

Dallas took a moment to composure herself, before heading back to the locker room.

As expected, everyone was awaiting her return. All eyes were on Dallas, as she quietly sat back in her cubby.

"Well…?" Renee questioned.

"Well what?" she asked.

"What's going on with you and Jon?"

Dallas let out a frustrated groan. "Nothing."

"Bullshit," Becky called her out.

"So, we sleep together. It's not a big deal…"

"It is kind of a big deal," Ashley commented.

"So…Jon and Tom…who's better in bed?" Mercedes knowingly asked.

"I-I dunno," she stammered.

"Oh come on. It's us," Danielle encouraged her.

"Ugh. Okay. Fine," she relented. "They both have their positives."

Renee rolled her eyes. "Don't give us that bullshit. I bet you enjoy it more with Jon."

"And why is that?"

"Ugh. You two are just…electric. That chemistry is insane. The two of you have more sexual tension between you than anything. I mean, crazy sexual tension," the blonde replied.

A smile pulled at Dallas's lips. "Well, the sex with Tom is really good. But with Jon…it's…mind-blowing," she admitted.

"How did that even happen with the two of you?" Becky asked.

"Well, we were on a plane headed to Philly together. Jon switched seats with the woman next to me. Next thing you know, we had some drinks, and we ended up having sex in the bathroom," she told them.

Danielle, Becky, Ashley, and Renee all had their mouths hanging open. "Seriously?" Danielle incredulously questioned.

The brunette chuckled. "Yeah."

"Damn. I wish I had your sex life," Renee breathed. "Get it, girl."

"It's not all it's cracked up to be. Trust me, there's too much drama in my life these days," she breathed.

"You've got three guys who want you. It can't be all that bad," Ashley replied.

"You'd be surprised. Kevin is definitely not even an option. Hell no, never again with that asshole. He gives me so much shit over things that have nothing to do with him, that narcissistic piece of shit. Tom is great. He's amazing. He's so sweet. He treats me like I'm special or something. But he wants more than I can give him. And Mox…he's just a ballbuster. I love sleeping with him and how there hasn't been any pressure or anything. He's just…easy for me to handle, in that sense. But he's just always a pain in my ass. It's just so fucking annoying. I can't win, ya know?"

"Yeah, but…I dunno. Tom is great and all. I definitely like him for you. But there's something about you and Jon that's just…I mean, you two fit perfectly. It seems like the perfect match up," Renee told her.

"I don't need a perfect match. I was just trying to get laid, and I guess somehow everything got…all fucked up," she admitted. The other women could see how uncomfortable Dallas was becoming with the subject of her love life. "I'm uh…I'm gonna go take a walk."

With that, Dallas left the locker room, though she wasn't quite sure where she was headed. She felt an arm wrap around her shoulders. She turned to her right. "Hey Renee."

"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to make you uncomfortable or anything like that," she sincerely apologized.

"No, I know. It's just weird, I guess."

"Well, you don't want guy problems, but you have more than anyone else here," she replied with a grin.

"It's so annoying. I thought things with Tom would really be perfect. I told him off the bat that I had no interest in a relationship or anything. And he was totally cool with it. He said he felt the same way. Now things are all weird because I had to draw that line in the sand, you know? I feel so terrible because he's such a great guy. But I'm just…" She shook her head.

"And Jon?"

"What about him? He's just busting my balls. He knows how much it irritates me when he does shit like he did back there."

"Listen, Dal, I've been friends with Jon for a while. I'm pretty sure that he's not busting your balls like you think he is. He's the kind of guy who'll sleep with you and do everything he can to avoid dealing with you again. But that's not how it's been with you. Besides, I wish you could feel that tension from my point of view. It's pretty hot."

"I could never be with him. Trust me, the sex is absolutely amazing. But we can't get along that well when we have our clothes on," Dallas told her friend.

"I dunno. If the two of you tried, I can guarantee that magic would happen."

"The last thing I'd ever need is to get myself all caught up in another relationship that's bound to fail."

"That's a lonely life, Dal. You don't deserve that."

She shrugged. "It is what it is. I'd rather be alone for the rest of my life than end up more miserable and bitchy," she breathed.

"You'll be alright. And you never know…maybe some out of control lunatic could change your mind," Renee teased.

"I hope you're not looking to put any money on that," Dallas replied with a laugh.


	28. Chapter 28

Rolling With the Punches

Chapter 28

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction.

* * *

 **A/N: My loves! Sorry for the slight delay in updates. But have no fear, I am here. A nice, big thank you for the reviews: alibob687 (Those two are just too perfect for each other, no matter how much she denies it. And Tom...he had to go lol but will he be back? Hmm... :) Jon's got it bad for our girl.) and MsConCon (I love Tom, but he overstayed his welcome lol and Dallas spent some time with the girls. Fun times.). This one's pretty long, but I feel like you all deserve it. Please leave me some reviews. They make me happy, and I'm expected to go shopping on this lovely Saturday. Ugh. And Survivor Series is tomorrow. I'm dying for Mr. Ambrose to win that title. I'm sure it'll be Ambrose vs. Reigns, but...the anticipation is killing me. Anyways, like I said, I love reviews. They make me want to update quicker and spend all of my time writing new chapters and typing them up. Hope you all enjoy. Love you guys XoXoXo**

* * *

"I think you deserve this," Mercedes said.

"I dunno. I've only been here for a couple of weeks. I mean, this is too soon for me to have a Number One Contender's Match. You know? I feel like of bad, especially with some of the talent that we have here…you, Becky, Trin, and here I am starting at the top. I feel like such an asshole," Dallas admitted.

"No. You've paid your dues, Dal. There's a reason you didn't start on NXT. It's because you're seriously great. You didn't need the work. You came here already being on another level," she explained.

"I dunno if I deserve this. You've proven yourself. You deserve it more than I do," Dallas told her.

Mercedes rolled her eyes. "My time will come. Hey, maybe if you win and then take that title off of Ashley, we can have some bad ass matches for it," she offered with a smile.

"Hey bitches," Saraya greeted, wrapping her arms around Dallas's neck.

"Hey," Dallas reciprocated.

"Are you ready for our match?"

"Of course," she replied, though it was obvious she was missing the usual enthusiasm she had before a match.

"Well, lookie here! Aren't I a lucky man?" a familiar voice greeted.

"Hey E," Dallas greeted Ettore Ewen, better known to the world as Big E.

"E!" Saraya greeted with a smile.

"E," Mercedes spoke, with a standoffish attitude, though she was joking, as the New Day and Team BAD had engaged in some entertaining back and forth banter.

"You two have a big match tonight, huh?" he asked, after throwing a playful glare in Mercedes's direction.

"Yup! You rooting for me?" Saraya asked him.

"Let me say one thing…" Clapping along with his words, in typical New Day fashion, he spoke. "Dal-las rocks. Dal-las rocks. Dal-las rocks."

Dallas and Mercedes laughed, while Saraya pouted. "Hey!" she protested.

He smirked at her. "Ray-a sucks. Ray-a sucks. Ray-a sucks," he teased her.

"You're just mean," she said, folding her arms over her chest, continuing to pout.

E laughed and pulled her in for a hug. "Oh you know I love you," he told her.

"Yeah. Yeah. Yeah."

"Seriously though, you two are gonna kill it out there," Mercedes chimed in. "I can't wait to watch it."

"I'm actually feeling a little nervous," Dallas admitted. "And I'm never nervous for a match. Like ever."

"It'll be fine. We've got this."

"You're gonna destroy the internet. Legit. The internet is going to lose its shit tonight," Mercedes encouraged.

E nodded in agreement. "I can't wait to watch. It's like you two are going to bring those insane matches Pam and this creature had in NXT," he said, motioning to Mercedes with his head, earning a glare from her.

"Creature?" Mercedes questioned, bringing her hands onto her hips.

He laughed and draped his arm around her shoulders. "Oh you know I'm just busting your chops."

"Yeah, I bet."

Saraya pulled her shorter friend in for a hug. "We're gonna have an insane match. Besides, we know each other so well that we can practically read each other's minds…especially when we're in that ring."

Dallas smiled. "Yeah. You're right." She paused. "We still have twenty minutes. I'm gonna take a walk and get a drink of water," she said. "I'll be right back."

Dallas headed down the hallway and headed to catering. Grabbing a bottle of water, she unscrewed the cap and took a long drink of the cold liquid. She quickly headed out of catering, not wanting to interact with one of the occupants of the room…Kevin. The last thing she needed was to have another confrontation with him, before her match. She was nervous and on edge already. There was no need to make it worse.

Wandering around for a couple of minutes, Dallas found a quiet hallway and sat on top of some empty storage crates, trying to amp herself up for the match and will the nerves away, while drinking her water. She couldn't understand why she was so nervous, but she actually felt like she could throw up, as a result of the nagging nerves. She just wanted to calm herself down and get her head back on straight.

"Hiding?" a raspy voice spoke from behind her.

Dallas rolled her eyes, not wanting to deal with Jon busting her chops, as she was already on edge and not in the mood for his games. "What if I am?" she questioned.

Jon sat next to her. "Why would you do that?"

"Because I've got shit going on in my head."

"What kind of shit?"

She sighed and took a sip of her water. "I don't know what the fuck is going on with me. I'm nervous…fucking nervous about this match," she admitted.

He furrowed his brow. "Why?"

She shrugged. "I have no idea. I'm never nervous. I wasn't even nervous for my first match ever. But I'm a mess for this one."

"I'm not good at pep talks—"

"I wasn't asking for one," she said, cutting him off.

"As I was saying, before I was so rudely interrupted, I'm not good at pep talks, so this is new for me. If it sucks or I make it worse, I'm sorry." He cleared his throat. "Alright. Here we go. Dallas, how long have you been doing this?" he asked.

"Ten years," she replied.

"Ten fucking years. That's a long fucking time for someone who's as young as you are. The only issues that you've had since you've been here haven't had a thing to do with your performance in the ring. You kill it every fucking time you step in between those ropes. Hell, when I quit bitching about those five minutes that you stole from me and Windham, when you had your first match against Saraya…I was actually really impressed with you. You're great out there. You don't have anything to be nervous about."

She grinned. "So, you're saying I earned those five minutes?"

Jon gave her a look. "Listen, I'm not encouraging you, and I hope you don't make it a habit, but at least you made good use of my time."

She let out a laugh. "Well, thanks."

"Seriously, Dal, you're the real deal. You have nothing to be nervous about. And what's with this new ring gear? Changing it up?"

Dallas looked down at her attire. She wore a pair of very short leather shorts, a star-studded black belt, a black bra-looking top with a black, long-sleeved mesh crop top over it, similar to her ring gear on the indie circuit. "Yeah. Stephanie wanted me to have new gear...more like what I was wearing in Ring of Honor," she replied.

"That's what you wore in ROH?"

She nodded. "Close enough to it."

"I need to watch those matches, then."

"You've seen me naked."

"Yeah, and don't get me wrong, if you could always be naked, I'd be a walking boner. But this…this is pretty hot. I should probably find a lonely corner to watch your match in. This way I won't have to get caught with my dick in my hand, in front of everyone. That'd probably get me in a lot of trouble."

Dallas laughed and looked ahead. "Only you."

He smiled and nudged her with his shoulder, playfully. "You know, don't tell anyone that I admitted this, but since you've come around, I've actually started watching Diva's matches...well...your matches, but still."

"Oh really?" she asked, turning her head to face him.

He pushed her hair behind her ear. "Really." Their eyes locked. Jon cupped her face in his hand. "What are you doing to me, Dallas?" he softly questioned.

"I'm not trying to do anything," she replied.

"You don't even realize you're doing it, huh?"

Dallas felt confused. This was not supposed to be happening, especially not with Jon, of all people. "I-I-I-I have t-to go," she stuttered, quickly standing up, placing some distance between Jon and herself.

He stood up and walked right up to her. She backed away, as he continued toward her. Once her back hit the wall, she felt her nerves take over. He brought a hand onto her hip. "Why are you running away from me?"

"I can't do this with you, Jon," she breathed.

"Why not?"

"This wasn't supposed to happen like this."

"We're so perfect for each other. You can't deny that. You know that we could be so good together."

"Jon, I don't want this. I just want to be alone. We can sleep together all we want. That's fine. But I can't do more than that."

"Why not?"

"Because I can't."

"But why?"

"I don't want to. Please, just let me go. I-I have to go. I have my match."

"Alright," he relented. He cupped her face in his hands. "Go kick some ass, Dal. I'll be watching." Jon leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. She momentarily hesitated, before finally pulling away from him. His eyes followed her, as she walked backwards, keeping her eyes on him. Not paying attention to where she was going, Dallas bumped into the wall. Jon smirked, loving how he was able to command all of her attention. She quickly regained her wits about her, turning and quickly heading back to Saraya.

"You alright?" her friend asked. E and Mercedes were gone.

"What? Oh. Yeah. Yeah. I'm okay," Dallas replied, trying to shake all thoughts of Jon out of her head. Saraya gave her a look, knowing that there was something up. "It's just my fucking luck that when I go to catering, fucking Kevin's in there, so I leave and try to hide...and Mox finds me." She shook her head. "I can't win."

"Oh…how'd that go?"

"Yeah. I don't know why I did it, but I told him that I was nervous about our match tonight, and he...he actually gave me a little pep talk."

"And?"

"And he was being really great. It was so weird...and then, he went ahead and made it even weirder."

"How?"

"He asked me what I'm doing to him. And he made a comment about how we're perfect for each other.

"Oh...wow. So, he really wasn't saying that stuff in the locker room just to bust your balls, then."

"Apparently not. Maybe. I don't know."

"What'd you say to him?"

"That I don't want more. He was asking why. I told him that I just don't want more. And then, I kind of ran off...into a wall."

Saraya laughed. "No way!"

"I wasn't paying attention to where I was going because I was looking at him and walked right into the wall," she admitted.

"That's so embarrassing."

"Yeah…"

"But anyway, what are you gonna do?"

A smile finally curled onto the brunette's lip. "I'm going to go out there and kick your ass."

"Yes! Bring it!"

* * *

As soon as Dallas's music hit, she made her way out of the gorilla position and onto the top of the ramp. The crowd was incredibly energetic. She loved it. Every second of it only built up her excitement for what was about to happen. Dallas made her way down the ramp. Her nerves quickly began disappearing. All of the confusion that was wracking her brain was practically gone in an instant. Suddenly, nothing existed in the world except for this...everything in front of her. Dallas was now completely in character. And it was just her and her best friend, ready to have the match of their lives. Nothing else mattered.

Dallas slid underneath the bottom rope. She made her usual parade of leaning over the top rope, the evil smirk present on her face. Heading back to the center of the ring, the two women confrontationally stared each other down, while Lillian Garcia introduced them. The bell finally rang, signaling the start of the match.

"You ready, new girl?" Paige condescendingly questioned.

"Oh, I'm more than ready, pop tart," Dallas patronizingly replied.

The two women locked up with Paige quickly gaining the upper hand, putting Dallas in a headlock. Dallas stomped on her opponent's foot, causing her to release the hold, though she quickly regained her focus and lunged at the brunette. The two women rolled around the ring, throwing punches to each other's heads, before Paige once again got the upper hand. She stood up and pulled Dallas up with her. She began smacking the newcomer's head into the turnbuckle repeatedly. Dallas slouched in the corner, while Paige was showboating around the ring. She made her way back over to her seemingly incoherent opponent, only to be surprised with a forearm to the face, quickly followed by a running bulldog, face planting Paige into the mat. Dallas hopped onto the top turnbuckle, executing a picture perfect diving somersault leg drop. She quickly climbed on top of her opponent, only getting a two-count before she kicked out.

* * *

"Damn. Your girl is good," Joe teased Jon, as the two watching Dallas and Saraya's match from their locker room.

"She's amazing," he breathed. There was no question as to how good the match was. With the WWE Universe chanting "this is awesome", which was a rarity for a Diva's match outside of NXT, Jon knew that this was a huge deal for the woman that he'd been focused on. It made him proud to watch her, as if he had an actual claim to her.

Dallas was down, while Paige leaned over the ropes, yelling at the WWE Universe with her "This is my house!" shenanigans. This allowed the brunette the opportunity to stealthily get up and run across the ring, bouncing off the ropes and nailing a dropkick to Paige's back, knocking her out of the ring.

Immediately jumping up onto the top turnbuckle, Dallas steadied herself for a brief moment, before leaping into a flying elbow, nailing her opponent. Both women laid on the outside of the ring, feeling the effects of the risky move.

"Come on, man. How many of these Divas can seriously have a match like this? This shit is fucking insane," Jon spoke. He glanced over at his friend, who was smiling at him. "What's that look for?"

Joe pressed his lips together and shook his head. "Nothing."

Jon raised a disbelieving eyebrow at him. "Bullshit."

"Not to take away from the match or anything because it's a great match...really great. But I've never seen you so interested in a Diva's match."

"It isn't the _Diva's_ that I'm interested in."

"Just one Diva."

The Lunatic Fringe shrugged. "It's possible."

"Possible? Who the hell are you trying to fool? It looks like you got yourself some feelings for our girl Dallas."

"I...she...I...uh…" Joe's smirk only grew, as Jon stumbled over his words. "Don't look at me like that."

"You gonna admit it yet?"

"Only if you stop looking at me like that."

Joe laughed and slapped him on the back. "Look at this, the infamous ladies' man has found the woman who can tame him. Good for you, man."

"Yeah...well...she doesn't want to even attempt anything more than what we've got going on now."

"Why not?"

Jon shrugged. "All she said is that she can't, and she doesn't want to."

"Hm...when are you going to be with her again?"

"I'm going to Philly after our signing."

"To see her?"

"Yeah," he replied.

"I mean, that's kind of serious," Joe breathed.

"It's not a big deal," Jon brushed it off.

"You've barely had one day off in almost two weeks, and you're flying to Philly to be with her." Joe paused. "You really care about her, don't you?"

"I like her. It's not the same thing."

"Yes, it is."

Jon rolled his eyes, before turning his attention back to the match on the closed circuit television. Not only was he not interested in getting into that conversation, but he also wanted to watch Dallas's match. It had been a great one, and it wasn't over yet. He had no idea how it was going to end. The back and forth between them was perfect. There was no telling who was going to come out on top.

Dallas had Paige hanging upside down from the top turnbuckle. She was in the opposite corner, before running across the ring and flipping into a cannonball. Paige fell down from the turnbuckle into a heap. Dallas pulled her into the center of the ring and attempted another pin on her. Somehow Paige managed to kick out right before the referee made it to three.

"Fuck," Jon muttered to himself.

Frustrated, Dallas sat back on her knees, her expression desperate. She stood up and pulled Paige up by her hair. She picked her limp opponent up around her shoulders, before slamming Paige into a Fireman's Carry backbreaker. Not wanting to allow her another chance to kick out, Dallas quickly stood up, nailing a standing somersault leg drop on her, hoping that this would be it.

But Paige kicked out again in the nick of time.

Dallas jumped up, her hands on her hips, frustration on her face. She backed into the corner, hyping herself up to finally end this match. When Paige finally sat up, Dallas ran towards her, nailing her Shining Wizard finisher.

The crowd was screaming, while Dallas scrambled to cover Paige. The referee finally counted to three. Dallas had won the match and was now the number one contender for the Diva's Championship. The brunette sat back on her feet, her hands on her thighs, trying to control the emotions that were threatening to pour out of her.

"YES!" Jon shouted, jumping up from his seated position on the couch, his fist punching through the air above his head.

Joe grinned. "You're awfully happy."

"Oh..uh...I mean, I saw her before the match. She was a little nervous about it. So, I gave her a pep talk," he replied, trying to downplay his feelings.

" _You_ gave someone a pep talk?" Joe asked, in disbelief. He couldn't understand how Jon was trying to deny what was so obviously going on between them, especially with him going out of his way to try and help her.

"Yeah...and it worked. Obviously. She was amazing out there," he shot back.

"So, go out there. Congratulate her when she comes back."

"I dunno about that."

"Come on. This is a big deal. She's the number one contender for the Diva's title, man," Joe encouraged.

"Uh...okay."

Joe could sense the hesitation in his friend and gave him a look. "Do you want me to come with you?" he asked.

"Could you? I mean, I don't want to look like a fucking idiot if I go out there, and she ignores me."

The Samoan powerhouse rolled his eyes, knowing that she wouldn't ignore him. "I'll go," he replied. Besides, he really liked Dallas, and he'd want to congratulate her anyway. The two men quickly got up and walked out of their shared locker room, heading to the front of the backstage area, where she'd be walking through at any moment. A bunch of the Divas and Superstars who were friends with one of or both of the women had gathered around, waiting for the two to come back. Stephanie, Paul, and some of the other important people were there, as well.

Jon casually hung against the wall, not wanting to seem too eager. Renee noticed and walked over to the two.

"Hey you two. Looking to congratulate your lady?" she teasingly asked Jon, as she leaned against the wall next to him.

"She's not my lady, but yes, I am. Normally, I wouldn't, but I know this was a big match for her."

"Good. I think you two would be perfect together."

"Well, the only issue with that is she doesn't feel the same way."

At that moment, Dallas finally walked into the back, amongst a round of cheers. Jon watched as she was pulled into hug after hug and received congratulations from everyone, including the powers that be. He was happy for her.

When Saraya walked into the back, she and Dallas immediately embraced each other. Emotions ran high, as both women clearly had unshed tears in their eyes. There were no traces of jealousy or hostility. It was obvious that Saraya was incredibly happy for her friend. It made Jon happy to see that even though she clearly had her issues, she had a friend that she was so close with and supported her, even if it meant she wasn't getting the spotlight on her. He only wanted the best for Dallas, even if she didn't want to give him a chance to make her happy.

Shaking away the distracting thoughts that were running through his head, Jon saw Dallas's eyes fall onto him, Joe, and Renee. She headed over to them, a smile pulling at her lips. Renee quickly pulled her into a tight hug.

"I'm so happy for you, Dal. You really deserve this."

"Thanks. And if I get that title, I promise, you'll get the first interview," she said, a smile on her face.

Renee smiled and lowered her voice. "Someone else wanted to congratulate you, too," she said.

"Yeah…" The blonde gave her a wink, before walking off.

"Babygirl, you're a bad ass. Congratulations," Joe said, walking over and pulling her into a big hug. "You killed it out there."

"Thanks, Joe."

"You're insane."

She laughed. "Thanks, I think."

"It's a compliment. And between us, that big-mouthed, shit-talking lunatic was pretty excited to watch your match," he said, his voice low enough so that no one else could hear what he was saying to her.

Dallas smiled sheepishly. "He helped me out," she admitted.

"I know. And listen, I'm not trying to give you any unwanted advice or anything, but I just want you to know that he can deny it all he wants to, but the guy is crazy about you." He paused. "Go talk to him. I'll catch you later."

"See ya."

Finally, Dallas made her way up to Jon. "Hey short stack," he greeted, a smirk residing on his face.

"Hey Mox," she greeted, mirroring the smirk, as her heart rate increased. "So...uh…" She looked down at the ground shyly.

"You were fucking awesome out there," he told her. "Joe and I watched the whole thing. I told you that you had nothing to worry about."

"You were right. Thank you," she replied, looking up at him, as a genuinely appreciative smile found its way onto her face. "As soon as I got out there...I dunno. I was just...in the zone. I forgot about everything else, and I was just...in it. I dunno."

"And now look at you...number one contender."

She let out a laugh. "I know. I can't believe it. I've been here a couple of weeks, and they're already giving me a title shot."

"If anyone deserves it, it's you."

"Thanks a lot, Mox. I'd give you a hug or something, but I'm all sweaty and gross right now," she told him.

He chuckled at her. "Seriously? Like you being all sweaty has ever been a problem for me before. Usually, I'm the one making you that way," he teased, before pulling her in for a hug. "Besides, if everyone else gets a hug after the big win, I should, too. And I hope you know that...I'm sure it doesn't really matter to you or anything, but I'm really proud of you. You were fucking awesome out there."

The brunette looked up at him. "Thanks, Mox. That means a hell of a lot to me, coming from you."

He furrowed his brow. "Why is that? I'm no one special."

"You're important. You're a great wrestler, and I've always respected you as that. You're not a terrible person to hang out with. And as much as I love arguing with you...and sleeping with you...your opinion really matters to me."

Jon had to consciously remind himself that people were watching them, and he couldn't kiss her right then and there. "Well...thank you."

She grinned, trying to bring the mood to a less tense place. "Thank you for helping get my head back in the game."

"Of course."

Dallas hesitated for a moment, before finally pulling back from their embrace. "Um…I'm gonna go...take a shower," she said, as the air began tensing back up.

"See ya," he said, as she ran off.

Once she was gone, Colby walked over to him, followed by Claudio. Not wanting his friend to end up getting his ass kicked, Joe followed them.

Luckily, Claudio was the first one to speak. "Can we go somewhere to talk?" the Swiss superman questioned.

"Uh...sure," he agreed with a confused expression on his face.

The four men headed into Colby's locker room. Joe, being the last one in, shut the door behind himself.

"You lied to me!" Colby accused, raising his voice.

"What the hell did I lie to you about?" Jon questioned, folding his arms over his chest, seemingly unamused with his friend.

"Dallas! You are sleeping with her!"

Jon rolled his eyes. "What unreliable source are you getting your information from, gossip girl?" he quipped.

"Uh...my eyes. It was pretty obvious out there," he snapped.

Cesaro put his hand up, silencing Colby and trying to regain some control of this intervention, so to speak, as Colby clearly couldn't handle it. "What the hothead is trying to ask is what's going on with you and Dallas? Not because all of us are nosy and want to know your business, but I guess...what we're trying to figure out is if we need to be worried about her," Claudio calmly explained, not wanting this confrontation to get out of control, as it clearly would, if Colby had his way.

"I'm just...I dunno...friends with her, I guess. Trust me, I'm the last person that you need to worry about when it comes to her.

"Bullshit!" Colby shot.

"Colby, shut the hell up. You're making this more difficult than it should be," Claudio reacted, glaring at his friend. He turned back to Jon. "Well, just in case, I'm going to say one thing that you need to keep in mind. If you're planning on hurting her, don't do it. She's been through a lot, and we don't need anyone causing more problems for her."

"I thought she had her own brother to defend her. Zach seems like he can take care of this, if it was even necessary."

"When he's busy, and when we're on the road, then, I step in," Claudio retorted, bringing his hands onto his hips. Then, he furrowed his brow in confusion, realizing what Jon had said. "How do you Zach?"

Jon stared at Claudio blankly, realizing his big mouth had gotten him in some potential trouble…yet again. "Uh...she's...uh...mentioned him...before…a couple of times. Seems like a capable guy." If Colby and Claudio knew that he had already met Zach, this conversation would go even further downhill at lightening speeds.

He eyed him suspiciously, knowing that something was going on that Jon wasn't admitting. Claudio wasn't sure if he should continue to press him or just leave it. If it got back to Dallas that they were doing this right now, he knew she would not be happy.

"Well, I'm gonna go. I'm sorry to see that WWE isn't financially cutting it for you guys and you had to pick up jobs as Dallas's bodyguards, but at least you're fighting the good fight," he spoke, before leaving the room, quickly followed by Joe.

"Dude, what the hell was that?" Colby demanded.

"You're acting like an idiot. You don't see that?"

"How was I acting like an idiot?" Colby defensively questioned.

"Because you were jumping down his throat, acting like a crazy man. First of all, Dallas would be pissed if she knew that we were saying anything to him. And secondly, when you're trying to get information out of someone, you don't flip out like a child. You have to handle it maturely." Claudio shook his head. "If I have to sit him down and have another conversation about this, you're not allowed to come with me."

"But...that's not fair!" he pouted.

Claudio rolled his eyes. "Sometimes I don't know how I deal with you without having a drinking problem," he breathed, crossing his arms over his chest and shaking his head at his longtime friend.

"That's what Dallas says."

"Take a hint," Claudio replied with a lighthearted chuckle.

Colby shook his head. "You people are mean."


	29. Chapter 29

Rolling With the Punches

Chapter 29

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction and is not meant to negatively reflect on anyone referenced or portrayed. I only own the original characters that I've created.

* * *

 **A/N: Hi my loves. Sorry for the delay. It has been an incredibly busy week, and now I'm back in NY for Thanksgiving with my family. Which reminds me...Happy Thanksgiving :) I have family coming over...actually right now, so I'll make this quick. But I want to say that I am thankful for every single one of you reading this. You all don't know how much I appreciate the reads, reviews, follows, favorites. It makes me so happy, even when I'm having a crappy day. Enjoy this day. Oh...and don't hate me for what happens in this update. I love you guys. Lots and lots XoXoXo**

* * *

Dallas was ready for bed. After her match, she'd received nothing but compliments and congratulations, which was nice. While she wasn't one that needed to be patted on the back, she didn't have a problem with being complimented on her in-ring work. She and Saraya had had one hell of a match. To be recognized for that was important to Dallas. She loved her friend and didn't want to be responsible for making her look bad.

And now she was the number one contender for Charlotte's Diva's Championship title. Dallas still didn't understand why she was getting the spot and not Saraya. But her best friend insisted that she deserved it.

Laying in her bed at the hotel, Dallas wore a pair of black boyshort underwear and a red Cesaro shirt that was long enough to cover her rear end. The next morning, they would be back on the road, so she was ready to enjoy some much needed sleep.

Once her head hit the pillow and Dallas got comfortable, there was a knock on her door. She groaned with frustration and turned on the light. Climbing out of bed and heading towards the door to see who was interrupting her sleep, she was not a happy camper. Not by a longshot. Once she opened the door and saw who her visitor was, she was even more unhappy.

"Yes?" she curtly greeted.

"Hey. Uh...can we talk?" Kevin asked her, as his eyes taking in the sight of her scarcely clothed body.

"I'm tired. Really? You want to do this now?"

"Please, Dal? You've avoided this for long enough."

"Fine. Fine," she breathed, relenting.

"Thank you," he said, walking into her hotel room, while she shut the door. Kevin sat on the couch. She sat on the opposite side of the couch, sitting with her feet in front of her, hugging her knees to her chest. She brought her chin onto her knees.

"So, talk," she encouraged, wanting to get this over with and get back into the bed that was calling her name.

"Alright, well, first of all, that match was insane. You killed it. Congrats."

"Thanks."

"Seriously. You were amazing out there."

"And still...thanks."

"Anyways, I'm sorry for the shit that I've done to you," he apologized. "Going to Stephanie, being a dick, flipping out in your hotel room...all of it. I'm sorry for everything I've done."

"Listen, I appreciate your little apology and all, but maybe we should start with why you've been such a complete asshole to me. I'm not the one who went behind your back and cheated on you. I didn't walk out on you," she pointed out, though her tone made it clear she didn't want to be bullshitted.

"I don't know, Dal. I guess...when I found out that you were gonna be here, I panicked. When we broke up, I just kind of left. We didn't hash shit out or anything. And I didn't really know what to expect. As for being a dick, you know that's my default."

Dallas rolled her eyes. "Yeah. I know that, but it was never that way when it came to me."

"I know. I shouldn't have acted that way towards you."

"And the Tom thing? You honestly think that people will judge you based on what your ex-girlfriend does? That's bullshit. Why did you really do it?"

Kevin sighed. "I...uh...well...I guess I just don't really like the idea of you with another guy. And I just snapped, I guess."

"Why does it even matter? Trust me, he's not the only guy I've been involved with since we broke up...far from it, actually.'

"I know. And I was pissed off about that, too."

"Kevin, you're the one who left me. You're the one who cheated on me. Why the hell would you care about anything that I do?" she questioned.

"Listen, I love my wife...but...we just...we had something different."

She furrowed her brow, not understand where he was going with this. "Meaning what? Yeah. We had five years together, and we did have something different...something special. But you threw it away for her. I'm not the one chasing you. I'm trying to avoid you. You're the one who's chasing me."

"Caused I fucked up."

"How?"

"By cheating on you...and walking out on you. I should have never done any of that," he breathed.

Dallas rolled her eyes. "Oh please. Give me a break. You cheated on me, and I would've stayed with you. Even though you went ahead and knocked her up, I would've stayed with you. You're the one who left. Not me."

"You didn't care," he replied. "You were so closed off, and you just didn't care. It was driving me crazy. You wouldn't go to therapy. You wouldn't talk about anything. It bothered me. I was upset, and I did something so stupid."

Dallas laughed bitterly. "Oh. I see what this is about."

"What?"

"When we started dating, I told you that you wouldn't be able to handle it. I fucking warned you, Kevin. I told you. And what a fucking surprise, I was right. You know, you're nothing but a fucking coward. You didn't know how to help me, so you threw me away like I was nothing. What a fuckin' joke. Five years. I wasted five fucking years with someone who treated me just like everyone else in my life did."

"Seriously?" he questioned, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Yeah, seriously," she retorted.

"You don't think I tried?"

"You gave up. I called it."

That's bullshit. I tried so hard, but you weren't helping the situation." He paused, taking a moment to try and calm down. "I shouldn't have left. Okay? I shouldn't have ever turned my back on you."

"Why? Because of what happened to me?"

"Well, partially. You went through enough. You didn't need to have me just up and walk out on you."

"The last thing that I'll ever need from you is pity. I needed you to let me deal with it in my own way."

"It isn't easy watching the person that you love more than anything in the entire world just suffer alone and close herself off to everything. You wouldn't talk to me about it. You wouldn't deal with any of it."

"You think _that_ is something that I'd want to talk about? To think about? To relive? Especially with you? Do you know embarrassing it was for you to even know? I hated that you knew. And you have no idea what I went through. And for you to act like I should have opened up about it is completely fucked up and not the opinion that you should have had. You knew what happened. You know what it did to me. And I'm sorry that instead of laying around and crying and reliving my own personal hell and playing the part of the little victim, I just wanted to act like it didn't happen, and like my life was normal," she argued.

Kevin thought for a moment. "Instead of doing what I did, I should've told you how I felt about everything. I shouldn't have expected you to do anything. You're right," he conceded, looking at the situation from her end. "I didn't think of it that way."

"The worst part of it all is that...I just wanted to move forward and get passed all of it and just...be with you. And you...you ruined it all," she breathed. "I've had a really hard time since I've been here...emotionally. Between you and Tom and Mox...I feel like I've lost control over everything in my life."

"Wait a second. Jon? What about him?"

"He was just a real thorn in my side when I got here," she groaned, wishing that she had never mentioned his name in this conversation. "Saraya told me that she thinks that a big part of my problem is that I never dealt with our breakup."

"What d'ya mean?"

"I never cried. I never moped around. I didn't talk about it much. Just kept on wrestling and started sleeping around."

"You weren't upset?"

Dallas shot him a look. "I was completely devastated. My heart was absolutely destroyed. I was a shell of myself. I felt completely broken. But I kept telling myself that I'd been through worse, so I'd be fine. And I ignored my feelings...tried to push them to the side."

"I ignored your feelings, too. And I'm sorry for what I did."

She nodded. "Thanks."

"You know...I miss you."

"You have a family."

"You were always my family. You know? I really screwed everything up, Dal. We had something that was so great. I miss our life."

"Well, it was your choice, Kev."

"Doesn't mean it was the right one." He paused. "So, you and Tom, huh?"

"Not quite."

"What does that mean?"

She shrugged. "Tom's great and all. He's sweet. He cares about me. He tries so hard, but I can't put myself in that position again."

"What position?"

"I've lost enough people in my life. I don't need to lose any more."

"Come here."

She arched an eyebrow at him. "Why?"

"Please?"

"Ugh. Fine." Dallas moved closer to him, though she wasn't exactly sure what to expect. She just didn't have it in her to argue.

Kevin pulled her across his lap, his arms around her. "Dallas, I'm so sorry. But understand one thing, my mistake wasn't a reflection on you. Just because I left you, like an idiot, doesn't mean everyone else will, too."

"I never thought you would have left me," she admitted, a frown tugging at her lips.

"I shouldn't have."

Dallas shrugged. "It's a little late to be realizing that now."

"It doesn't have to be."

She shot him a look. "Kev, it is. You're married. You have a kid. It's way too late for any of that." Kevin's arm was around her waist, the other resting on her thigh.

"Dal, it's killing me to not be with you."

"You can't do this, Kevin," she insisted.

"Just...I can...I can fix it."

"How? Do you have a time machine that I don't know about?" she questioned, straight-faced, though the sarcasm laced every word that escaped her lips.

"Dal, you know how good we were together."

"That's right. I know how good we _were_ together...in the past. But too much has happened, at this point. Too much has changed. And quite frankly, I don't think I could ever really trust you again," she honestly spoke.

"We could try. Come on. You know we were great. I screwed up so badly, and I know that. But don't let my stupidity ruin what we had."

"Kevin…" she warningly spoke, shaking her head.

"I love you, Dal. I always have."

"That's not good enough anymore," she told him. "It's over. You're the one who did it. Not me. And it's been over two years since it ended. That's where it ends. There's no getting back together or whatever it is you're looking for. That's not even getting into the whole you're a married man with a kid thing."

"It can't be over. We spent five years together. You can't just forget about that," he calmly argued.

"Uh excuse me? _I_ can't forget about it? You didn't seem to care that much about those five years when you were screwing other people behind my back and walking out on me," she shot, catching an attitude.

"Fair enough. That was stupid of me to say."

"Yeah, it was," she agreed.

"So, you can honestly look me in the eyes and tell me that you don't care about me anymore?" he pointedly questioned.

"I don't want you to die or anything. And if something happened to you, I'd be upset and concerned or what have you. But I will absolutely never be with you ever again. I wouldn't be able to trust you."

"So, you don't have feelings for me?"

"I do. But not the kind of feelings that'll make me do anything stupid...like date you, trust you, invest anything in you."

"You don't love me."

She rolled her eyes. "I'll always love you. It's just...it's a lot different now," she said, her voice low.

Kevin's thumb absentmindedly caressed her leg. Part of Dallas almost felt bad for him. She could see that he was terribly conflicted, and it was tearing him apart, mentally. But she also knew that he was the one responsible for the situation that was causing him the conflict. She brought a hand onto his face, gently running her thumb across his cheek. "Dal, you're so perfect...even if you don't realize it," he told her. "I'm sorry for what I did to you. All of it. From the moment I cheated until right now. I'm sorry for everything."

She gave him a reassuring smile. "It's alright. I forgive you."

He pulled her against his body into a hug. She returned the gesture, wrapping her arms around him. She had to admit that it was nice getting along with Kevin. She felt comfortable. And she had always loved his hugs.

As they pulled back, Kevin paused and caught her eyes. She let a small smile form on her lips. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"This. It's nice not fighting with you."

Seemingly out of nowhere, Kevin pressed his lips against Dallas's. She wasn't sure how to react, and in her moment of hesitation, kissed him back. His hold on her body tightened. She was still confused but at the same time, his lips on hers reminded her of those five years they had spent together. When this kind of thing was normal. It was life that she missed, no matter how hard she tried to forget about it. That's why she finally wrapped her arms around him, allowing herself to kiss him back. He easily stood up, holding onto her body and bringing her over to the bed. He gently put her down, hovering over her body. Her arms remained around his neck, their mouths refusing to part. Kevin's hand grasped her thigh, holding it against his body. She could feel his hardness pressing against her through his basketball shorts.

Dallas had forgotten how great it felt to be with him...how normal it felt, how familiar he was to her. His hand ran up her body, under her t-shirt, grasping her hip. Kevin continued pressing his body against hers. She moaned against his mouth. Kevin knew what she liked. He knew just how to touch her. He was different than Jon was. But she wasn't sure if she would necessarily consider Kevin better than Jon.

Wait. Jon. How could she forget about Jon? She couldn't do this with Kevin when she had...whatever it was that she had with Jon. And Kevin. Kevin was married. He had a kid and all. Dallas pushed him back. "We can't do this," she quickly spoke. "Y-you're married. And I-I-I...I can't do this with you.

Kevin's head fell, as his body was still hovering over hers. "This is right," he breathed. "It feels so right."

"You're married, Kevin. You can't cheat on your wife."

"I just want you, Dal," he spoke. "Just you."

She shook her head. "You can't have me," she told him. "I might be a bitch and a psychopath...hell, I know I'm a lot of things, but I'm not a homewrecker."

Kevin sat back on the bed. "So...we're just...over?"

She pressed her lips together and nodded. "Yeah…"

He nodded slowly. "I'm sorry."

She gave him a grin. "Don't be," she softly said. "Maybe we can actually try and get along now."

Kevin chuckled. "But where's the fun in that?"

She laughed. "True."

He thought for a moment. "Are you okay?"

"I am. You know I'll be fine."

"Is Jon Good leaving you alone now?"

"Mox?" she questioned, putting in her best effort not to smile at the mere mention of his name. "He's not a problem anymore."

"I heard he congratulated you on your match…"

"Yeah…"

"And he hugged you."

"So…?"

"I thought you two weren't getting along."

Dallas shrugged. "We get along now."

"Why?"

"I dunno. We just do."

He eyes her suspiciously. "Are you...involved with him?" he finally asked her.

She raised her eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

"Sorry. Just asking."

"Kevin, you should probably get out of here before this goes any further downhill than it's going now."

He put his hands up defensively. "Okay. Okay. Sorry." He stood up. Dallas did, as well. "I'm sorry, Dallas," he apologized.

"It's fine. Don't worry about it," she insisted.

He headed towards the door with the brunette following him. "Are we okay?" he questioned her. "I wasn't trying to make things worse."

She smiled. "We're fine. We're good, Kev," she assured him.

"Okay." He scooped her up in his arms, giving her a hug, which she returned. "If you need anything, just let me know."

"Thanks,' she said, as the two pulled back.

"I'll see ya, Dal."

"See ya, Kev."

And with that, he left her room, shutting the door behind himself. Dallas pressed her back against it. Making out with Kevin was wrong. Absolutely. But why did her guilt only set it at the thought of Jon? She wasn't quite sure how that happened. They weren't anything. She was closer to being something with Tom, as opposed to Jon. But she didn't feel the slightest bit of guilt at the thought of Tom. She let out a long breath.

Dallas smiled to herself, as she climbed back into her bed and shut the lights off. She knew that she needed sleep, if she planned on thinking clearly at all. The moment Dallas's head hit the pillow, she banished all thoughts of Kevin. That was easy enough. It was Jon that she couldn't seem to get out of her head...not that she was entirely sure she was even trying.


	30. Chapter 30

Rolling With the Punches

Chapter 30

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello loves! A nice big thank you to: alibob687 (Right? Kevin, that bastard. Trying to ruin things...), lourdes1694 (Maybe a little too much...hopefully that doesn't happen again), DenyingTheTruth (HAHAHA Kevin can't keep his hands to himself! I hates SS, too. I thought it was ridiculous. I thought it was bs. I wanted Ambrose to win, and I know they were so desperate to put it on Reigns but come on. Ugh. :) Pain in the ass), LetitReigns525 (Apparently, Kevin wanted to play too nice lol), MsConCon (Hahaha all I can think of is when you mentioned Kevin and Dallas burying the hatchet, and I keep thinking 'that's not all he was trying to bury' lol Man, I got problems. I love your reviews. Seriously, they're amazing.), and DeeMarie426 (Only time will tell...). You guys are freakin' fan-damn-tastic. I love you all. And yay for Christmas season! I never realize how poor I am, until I have no money because I'm buying so many gifts lol I hope everyone is doing well. Sorry for the delays lately. I've been so busy, and it sucks. Stupid real life. I'll do my best to update quicker than I have been. And sorry that this chapter is short. I've got some long ones coming up. Love you guys XoXoXo**

* * *

"Why in the bloody hell are you knocking on my door like a psychopath?" Saraya asked, opening the door to her hotel room.

Dallas pushed her way inside, shutting the door. "Raya, you will not believe what happened last night," she breathed.

"We had an amazing match, and you and Jon were all adorable in front of everyone?" she teased.

"Kevin came to my room last night."

Saraya's mouth fell open. "No fucking way."

"We talked…"

"Oh my God. What happened?"

"You were right."

"Well, I know that. But what was I right about this time?"

"He wanted to...I dunno...get back together or something."

Hey eyes widened. "I called that!"

"He kissed me."

"No!"

"Yup."

"And what did you do?"

"I was surprised...and I kissed him back."

"Oh...and what happened after that? Did you sleep with him?"

"No…" She paused for a moment. "We were making out on my bed or whatever and I felt guilty...because of Mox...which was so weird. And then, I guess I remembered that he was married."

"Shit...so what now?"

"I mean, we agreed that we can get along now. I think we're good," she replied with a shrug.

"He wants you."

"I don't want him."

Saraya raised an eyebrow. "You kissed him back," she pointed out.

"He's just familiar, you know? It was really weird. But if I wanted him, I could've had him. I'm just done with that chapter of my life now. You know? I guess we had some closure. That's all."

"But I don't think he wanted closure. He wants you." Saraya thought for a moment. "But Jon is the reason you stopped yourself. What's that all about?"

"I don't know," Dallas admitted. "It was just all so weird."

"You two are more than two co-workers that are screwing around. You are aware of that, right?"

Dallas chewed on her lower lip. "We can't be."

"You are."

She shook her head. "I can't handle anything like that."

Saraya rolled her eyes. "That's not true at all. You haven't actually tried to be with anyone since Kevin."

"Because I know it's a terrible idea."

"You're just being difficult."

"No. I just...I dunno, Raya," she groaned.

The raven-haired Diva chuckled at her friend. "Oh relax. You two are so good for each other."

"We're terrible together," Dallas dismissed.

"How do you figure?"

"Because...we're just...too much alike."

"You're out of your mind. You have your perfect match, and you're being such a psycho right now. You two should be together."

Dallas shook her head. "I've never even kissed him."

"What?"

"Mox...I've never kissed him."

"How is that possible?"

"I told him he didn't deserve it, and I've never let him kiss me."

"You're waiting for the perfect moment, huh?" she teased.

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Listen, I can't answer that question for you. All I can say is that you and Jon have something going on...something real...and...just...perfect. Everyone can see it. This bullshit with Kevin needs to stop. Tom is a great guy, but you don't have that kind of connection with him, even if he seems to think so. Jon cares about you. And whether or not you're willing to admit it, or even realize it, you care about him, too. I know it's difficult to give him a chance because of everything that you've been through, but I honestly think that you two could seriously have a go at it and make it work."

"But how? I can't be with him, if he doesn't understand why I am the way I am. And I can't tell him…"

"Why not?"

"Because...I don't want him to know…"

"You might be a lot better off, if you do."

The brunette rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right. Hey Mox, guess why I'm such a fucked up headcase. He'd run. Far away. And honestly, who could blame him?"

"I don't think you're giving him enough credit."

"Oh come on, anyone who's even heard half of the bullshit would be crazy to stick around."

"What makes you say that?"

"I'm just all kinds of fucked up, you know?"

"No, you're not. You're surprisingly okay…"

Dallas frowned. "I'm in too deep, aren't I?"

Saraya nodded. "Yeah. You are."

* * *

"I fucked up," Kevin breathed.

"Uh oh. Did you start more shit with Dallas after I specifically told you not to?" Rami asked, sitting next to his best friend on the hotel room couch.

"Not the way you're thinking."

"What'd you do?"

"I talked to her last night."

"And…?"

"I told her I love her."

"You fucking…" Rami breathed, shaking his head.

"I kissed her," Kevin admitted.

His eyes widened in disbelief at his friend's admission. "What?! Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Well, no. She kissed me back."

"Did you sleep with her?"

"No. We kissed for a little while, but she stopped it from going any further," he explained. "But...regardless, I think we're good now. No more fighting or anything, at least."

"Are you two…?"

"No. She said it isn't going to happen. She wouldn't admit it, but I think there's something going on between her and Good.

"There probably is."

Kevin raised an eyebrow. "What do you know?" he asked.

"I don't know anything other than the way I saw him looking at her last night. That said it all for me...and then some." Rami paused. "Listen, I'm sorry that you still love her, but you had to know that it wasn't going to happen with her again."

"I know...but I guess I just hoped."

"Dude, you're married. You have a family. You need to get over this stuff with Dallas and focus on that."

Kevin nodded. "You're right."

"I'm glad that you two managed to get shit squared away. Now, you need to focus on your relationship with your wife."

"Yeah."

Rami raised a suspicious eyebrow. "I'm serious. Stop it with this shit with Dallas. Leave her alone."

"I know," he defensively replied.

"Why am I getting the feeling you won't stop?" Rami pointedly questioned his friend.

"I dunno. Maybe because you love drama? I don't know why the hell you feel that way," he shot.

"Alright. I'm going to take a stab in the dark here and guess that you're still upset over this whole thing with Dallas."

"I don't give a shit about it," Kevin snapped.

Pressing his lips together, Rami shook his head. "Well, you can do whatever you want to, but I'm warning you that if you stick with this Dallas shit, it won't end well. And you can't keep fucking around. It isn't fair to her, and it isn't fair to your wife. And it sure as hell isn't fair to your son. Stop being a selfish fuck and leave Dallas the hell alone already," Rami scolded his best friend, before getting up and storming out of his hotel room.

While he was making his way towards Dallas's room, he coincidentally ran into her, as she was leaving Saraya's room.

"Hey," he greeted. "I was actually looking for you."

She smiled, knowingly. "I bet I know why," she breathed. She cocked her head to the side. "You alright? You look pissed off."

"I'm fine," he quickly told her.

"Wanna come to my room?" she invited him.

"Please."

Dallas nodded and headed down the hallway with Rami following behind her. She quickly found her room, unlocking the door and pushing it open. They walked in, and he shut the door behind them. She plopped down on the bed, and he sat on the edge of it.

"So, let me take a wild guess...this is about what happened last night with Kevin?" she asked, knowing full well that that was the reason behind his need to talk to her at eight o'clock in the morning.

"Yeah…"

"Okay. So...what's on your mind, kiddo?"

He let out a chuckle. "Kiddo?" She nodded with a cheery smile. "So, what's your...I dunno...your take on everything?"

Dallas shrugged. "Honestly? I mean, a part of me will always love Kevin, but I have no interest in being with him ever again. I'm way passed that part of my life," she told him. "I guess I'm happy that we're...I dunno...on better terms now? I know that he wants more, but there's no way in hell that I'd ever let that happen."

"Well, that's good. I was kind of worried about where you head was at," he admitted.

She laughed. "Oh come on, Ram. I'm not that emotionally fragile. Just because Kevin snaps his fingers doesn't mean I'll be back at his beck and call. Our relationship is completely dead. There's no chance of a rekindling there...no matter what he wants or what he says. It's a big, fat no."

Rami let out a deep breath. "Good. I'm happy to hear that," he told her. "I wasn't sure what to expect. And the last thing I wanted was for him to get into your head again."

She smiled. "Trust me, he's not in my head at all. Far from it, actually."

"That makes me feel a hell of a lot better. His situation is complicated, and the last thing that you need is to get involved with something like that. You know?"

"I know, and I agree with you there. And trust me, the last thing I need is something complicated."

He nodded. "So...um...is there...are you…?"

"Why are you so nervous all of a sudden, Ram?"

"Because I'm afraid of your reaction to the question I want to ask you."

"Just ask."

"Alright. So, you and Good?"

Dallas rolled her eyes. She had a feeling he was going to ask her about that. "What about it?"

"Are you two...a thing?"

"Not at all. Why?"

"Because I saw you two. He hugged you last night, and…"

"And what?"

"I saw how he was looking at you."

She furrowed her brow in confusion. "Oh yeah? And how did he look at me?" she asked.

"He's got it bad for you."

"He doesn't," she dismissed him.

"He definitely does," Rami insisted. "Listen, you do what you want, Dal. I'm just saying...I want you to be careful. Okay? I don't want you getting hurt. I just want you to be happy," he explained.

Dallas gave him a small smile. "Aw, Ram. I'm good. I promise," she assured him, appreciating how much her friend cared for her.

He nodded. "I really hope so. I don't want to have to kick anyone's ass," he said with a chuckle, though she knew he would do it, if he had to.

"Well, I appreciate the protectiveness, but I can promise you that I'm going to be a-okay," she said.


	31. Chapter 31

Rolling With the Punches

Chapter 31

Disclaimer: This is all fiction. It didn't happen in real life. That's really all I have to say about that. Oh…don't sue me. Besides, you won't get much.

* * *

 **A/N: You've all spoken, and you've been heard! Jon is coming back in this chapter. Well...to be fair, I've had this and the next bunch of chapters written, so he was going to be back anyway, but still :) A massive thank you to: lourdes1694 (He's a good guy. Thank God he's finally coming back. I've missed seeing him on TV.), DenyingTheTruth (Right?! I'd imagine she'd be the crazier of everyone, but she's not...yet ;) I love her.), alibob687 (Lol we'll find a good name for Dallas and Rami. Maybe Rallas lol. But Jon is coming back! I promise. And trust me, from what I remember, he's in like every other chapter I've written, as well, so you won't have to miss him again. I'll have to work on that whole real life thing. It's not nearly as important as fanfictioning. You're the best!), DeeMarie426 (She's really enjoying being difficult, but our girl should be coming around soon...right? I mean, it'd be stupid of her not to.), and Straight Edge Queen (Thanks!). You guys are amazing. I love every single one of you. We're moving things right along, and you'll all get to see Jonny Boy again now :) Let me know what you think. A little RIP to one of my all-time favorites, Scott Weiland, who's a character in one of my other fics, Falling Down. I'm not usually one who's incredibly impacted by celebrity deaths, but that one hit pretty hard. Yes, I sat in bed, drinking beer, and watching his music videos and stuff, while crying like a baby last night. I'm so weird. My boyfriend came home from hanging out with his friends to Stone Temple Pilots videos playing on the TV, with me sleeping. Poor guy. Anyways, I love you all, and I hope you're all doing well. Love you! XoXoXo**

* * *

"Looking forward to flying out to Philly tomorrow to see your girl?" Joe asked his friend and tag team partner for the evening's Smackdown taping, as the two men were in their locker room, waiting until they had to go out.

"You're really loving this, aren't you?" Jon shot, glaring at him.

Joe nodded enthusiastically, a wicked smile on his face. "Absolutely loving every single moment of it, my friend."

"You're a dick."

"Hey, you were always so quick to tell me how pussy-whipped I am. Now this is karma's way of kicking your ass," he replied with a mocking shrug.

"It's not the same. You love Galina. I, on the other hand, do not love Dallas. I just love fucking her. There's a big difference."

The Samoan made sure his friend saw him roll his eyes. "No, please, continue acting like you don't have feelings for her. We all know it's bullshit. You're crazy about her. And if anyone wasn't sure, yesterday's little exchange clarified that."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're completely hooked on her. I've known you for long enough to know how you act when it comes to women. And I can say without a shadow of doubt, you are absolutely crazy about her because I've never seen you act like this before."

"That's not how it is."

"Don't bullshit me. Every time you're around her, you're completely different. You talk about her all the time. You can say what you want, but I know I'm right."

"Why do you always have to be such an asshole?"

Joe chuckled. "Why am I the asshole? Is it because I'm calling you out on your bullshit, Mr. I Don't Have Feelings for Her?" he asked, mocking him.

There was a knock on the door. "Come in!" Jon called, happy for the distraction. He was not enjoying that exchange with Joe.

It opened, and Colby walked in. "Hello gentlemen. I come bearing gifts," he said, handing envelopes to both of the men.

"What's this?" Joe asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Wedding invitations," he replied.

"No fucking way, man. You're marrying that Nazi bitch already?" Jon asked, raising a surprised eyebrow. "That was quick."

Colby rolled his eyes. "No. _Zahra_ and I aren't getting married. It's from Matt and Shaul. They're the ones getting married."

"Oh. No shit. When are they getting married?" Jon inquired.

"In a couple of weeks. You're holding the fucking invitation in your hand. Why don't you just find out for yourself?" He paused, before continuing to answer his friend's question anyway. "It's when we're all pretty much off for that Thursday, Friday, and Saturday."

"That's pretty soon," Joe commented.

"Yeah. They need you to RSVP like ASAP."

Jon opened the envelope. "A plus one? Have they even met me?" he asked, furrowing his brow.

"You don't even need to worry about that. I already gave Dallas her own invitation," Colby teased with a smirk.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he questioned, playing dumb.

"That it's not just me. Everyone else also sees how bad you've got it for her," Joe interjected with a snicker.

"Stop with that already. I don't feel that way about her," he argued.

Colby laughed, which was a far cry from the reaction he had the day before, confusing both Jon and Joe. "You think we believe that? All I can say is that if you hurt her, I will kill you with my bare hands."

Jon rolled his eyes. "You're a real pain in my ass, Jekyll and Hyde."

"What?" Colby asked.

"You. Yesterday, you're acting like you're going to try and kick my ass over this stupid shit like some tough guy, and today, you're laughing like a hyena and teasing me about it. Do you harass Dallas about this bullshit, too? Or am I the only one lucky enough to deal with your shit?" he questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Nah. I'm pretty sure Raya has that taken care of." He paused. "Anyway, how you feeling about it? You gonna go?"

Jon shrugged nonchalantly. "Maybe. I'll have to make sure that I'm free."

Joe rolled his eyes. "The prima donna is free, and he'll be there. So will I. I'll let Galina know," he told Colby.

"You bringing your Nazi?"

Colby shot him a look. "I'm bringing my girlfriend. Zahra," he replied, ignoring the comment about her being a Nazi.

Jon tried not to laugh, knowing that making comments about his girlfriend was the easiest way to get him back for the Dallas comments.

* * *

"Shauly's getting married!" Dallas excitedly shouted.

"I can't wait!" Saraya cried, as the two women had received their invitation to the nuptials and were beyond happy for their friends.

"I'm gonna fill out the response card right now," the brunette said, pulling out the small card and matching envelope from the larger envelope.

"Are you off that day?"

"We all are. It's the weekend that we're off. Well, the weekend that we only work on Sunday. And it's that Friday. Oh my God. I can't wait."

"Isn't that in...like three weeks?" Saraya asked, scrunching her face in curious confusion.

"Yeah...so…?"

"When's the bachelorette party?" the English Diva inquired.

"Hmmm...good question. I'll call Sher," Dallas elected, putting her cell phone out. She quickly dialed Shaul's younger sister.

"Dallas! What's up?"

"Hey Sher. How are you?"

"Good. Good. How are you doing?"

"I'm good. Hey, I was wondering...is Shauly having a bachelorette party?"

"I was hoping to plan one, but with the wedding in three weeks, I wasn't sure if we'd be able to fit one in."

"Oh...hm...alright. How about we plan one for next week?"

"Really? You think we can plan that out in a week?" Sherilyn questioned.

"Definitely. How about this...I'll do some research, since I'm off for the next couple of days, and I'll send you some ideas. You let me know what you think would be best, and I'll make the arrangements."

"Awesome. You're the best. Thanks, Dal."

"Of course."

"I'll talk to you soon."

"Sounds good. Bye, Sher."

"Bye."

Dallas ended the call. "We're gonna plan one."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Shaul's been through a lot. She deserves to have an awesome party before she gets married."

"Alright," Saraya breathed.

"This is so exciting."

The huge grins formed on both Divas faces. "We're gonna have the best bachelorette party ever."

"Oh my God. This is so much fun. And I never get all giddy over things like this," Dallas pointed out.

"Maybe we're all wearing you down with this romance stuff with you and Jonny Boy," her friend teased her.

Dallas rolled her eyes. "No. Just...no."

"You gonna bring him to the wedding as your date?"

Dallas shot her an unamused glare. "No."

"Alright. Alright. Calm down. I was just busting your balls," Saraya relented. She paused. "What are you doing on your days off?"

"I'll be home. Zach and I had tickets to see Motley Crüe on Thursday night, but he's gotta fly out tomorrow. So, I'll see him for a little while."

"You gonna go to the show alone?"

The brunette shrugged. "I'm considering it."

"Not bad."

"Other than that, I'll work on the bachelorette party planning."

"Should I start buying those penis necklaces and straws and stuff?"

A chuckle escaped Dallas's mouth. "Not quite yet. I'm gonna call Shaul and get an idea of what she'd like."

"Ah smart."

"I have my moments."

* * *

"Great match," a familiar voice filled her ears from behind. A sweaty Dallas turned around to face Jon.

"Thanks, Mox," she replied, bringing a hand onto her hip. "Don't you have your own match tonight?"

"Yeah. I'm in the main event. So, I've still got a few minutes." He paused, as the tension thickened. "I'm not just saying it because I'm trying to get in your pants, but you were great out there. I watched you."

She smiled. "If I didn't know any better, Mister Mox, I'd say you were creeping on me," she teased.

A grin played on his lips. "You'd be correct. I'm creeping it up as much as possible," he jokingly replied. "So...uh...Philly tomorrow?"

She raised an eyebrow. "I told you, I'm gonna be busy."

He shrugged. "That's fine with me. I'm sure I can find some things to do to keep myself occupied."

Dallas rolled her eyes. Not for one minute did she believe that he was going to be joining her in Philly. "Okay," she brushed it off, not wanting to argue with him about it.

He thought for a moment, unsure of what to say. "Are you uh...are you going to Matt and Shaul's wedding?" he asked.

"Yeah. I'm actually going to help plan her bachelorette party while I'm off," she replied. "You got an invite?"

"Yeah. Go figure, right? I didn't think they liked me."

"Neither did I. That's a surprise. So, are you going?"

Jon shrugged. "I dunno. Haven't decided. Joe told Colby to tell them that I'll be there, but...I dunno."

"You should. It'll be a lot of fun," she spoke with a friendly smile.

A grin formed on his lips. "You think so? I mean, I do clean up pretty well…"

"Yeah. Everyone's going. They invited practically everyone here. I guess that's how you got the invite."

He gave her a look. "Do you want me to be there?" he pointedly questioned.

"I mean, yeah...it'll be a good time."

"Then, I dunno. Maybe I'll go."

"You should."

"You gonna get all dressed up for me, doll?"

Dallas shot him a look. "Seriously? Don't start this again with me."

"Start what?" he defensively asked.

"This flirty bullshit."

"Like you honestly have a problem with it?"

"People are starting to think that there's something more going on between us," she told him, raising an eyebrow.

"There is…"

"Not what they're thinking."

"Oh? And what are they thinking?" he questioned.

"That there's something...more than physical going on here."

"There isn't?" She gave him a look and shook her head. "Well, you shouldn't be so concerned with what other people think," he shot.

"I don't need everyone I work with thinking that we're more than we are. Hell, I don't even need them knowing what we actually are, Mox. That's just asking for trouble. The last thing I need is more trouble."

Jon rolled his eyes at her. "You're being paranoid."

"Good luck with your match," she said, before turning to walk away from him, as she was starting to get irritated.

He gently caught her by the arm and turned her back around to face him. "Don't be so difficult, Dal."

"I need to get in the shower," she sharply spoke.

He let go of her. "Fine."

She gave him a smirk. "Like I said before, good luck out there tonight, Mox," she said, before turning around and heading towards the locker room. Jon's eyes remained on her until she turned the corner.

Once she had turned the corner and was out of his line of sight, Dallas pressed her back to the wall. What was he doing to her? She hated how he made her feel. She had butterflies in her stomach. That was not at all what she wanted. Dallas knew that she had to get her emotions in check when it came to Jon...and quickly. She wasn't sure how long she would be able to continue this charade with him. He was taking over her thoughts and her feelings. It was unsettling for her and not at all what she wanted. It needed to stop.


	32. Chapter 32

Rolling With the Punches

Chapter 32

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction.

* * *

 **A/N: Alright, so first off, thank you to MsConCon (Seriously, I love your reviews.) and LetitReigns525. Now, I'm going to warn you all, I may have taken the thing with Dallas's past to an incredibly disturbingly dark place, but I did it and I'm sticking it with it. So, don't hate me, please. I love you guys. I'm looking forward to your reactions to this chapter because there's a lot that happens. I've given you some short chapters lately, and this is a long one, so please let me know what you think. Love you guys! XoXoXo**

* * *

"Home sweet home," Dallas mumbled to herself, the next morning, as she walked through her front door. She dropped her bags to the floor with a thud and kicked the door shut.

She had managed to somehow successfully avoid Jon for the rest of the night at the Smackdown taping and the entire morning. He wasn't on her flight either, which filled her with both relief and disappointment. Part of her wouldn't have minded spending some time with him. The other part was relieved that she wouldn't have to deal with his antics, while she was trying to unwind during her time off. She didn't want to get as close to him as she felt she was getting. She had too much holding her back, and it was taking a toll on her, mentally.

Her cell phone began ringing. Dallas pulled it out of her bag and saw that it was her brother. "Hey Zach," she greeted.

"You home yet?"

"Just walked through the door."

"Sweet. I'm coming over."

"Sounds good."

With that, the call ended. She brought her bags into her bedroom. Dallas sat on her bed and let out a deep breath. She had too much going on lately. Between trying to focus on her career and busting her ass in the ring paired with the issues she had with Tom, Kevin, and Jon, she felt like she was slowly losing her mind. They were all driving her insane with their pestering and drama. She just wanted to be left alone with it. Except for Jon. She hated herself for it, too. The last thing she wanted was to have feelings for him. He was the last person she should be with. But for whatever reason, he was the one who had meandered himself into her head.

Dallas began a load of laundry, wanting to make some use of her time before Zach showed up. She was happy that she had managed to squeeze in some quality time with her big brother. She didn't see him as often as she wanted to. And with everything going on, she wanted to talk to him. He was always good at helping her. Hell, he had been the one person who had taken care of her after everything that she had dealt with. Zach's loyalty toward his little sister never wavered. All he wanted was to make sure she was happy. She knew that he would be the best person to talk to about her current problems.

When the doorbell finally rang, Dallas excitedly skipped to the door and flung it open. She was happy to see Zach. The two embraced in a big hug, as he lifted her up from the ground and spun her around.

"I've missed you so much, Zach," she softly spoke.

"I missed you, too."

He put her down, and they pulled apart. He made his way inside of her house. She shut the door and locked it. Zach sat down on the couch. She took a seat next to him. "So...how are things with you? That match on Monday was fuckin' sick. You and Raya seriously destroyed the internet with that one."

"Thanks. Things are okay…"

He gave her a look. "Uh oh. What's going on?"

"It's stupid."

"Bullshit. Talk lady."

"Lady?"

He chuckled. "Not the most accurate description of my little sister, huh?" he teased her with a smirk.

She smiled. "Not by a longshot."

"So talk."

"I have major guy problems."

"Is it Jon?" he asked.

"Yeah. And Tom and Kevin."

"Tom?"

"Baron Corbin."

He raised his eyebrows. "Look at you. Not bad at all. And I hope when you say Kevin, you're not talking about Steen."

"I am."

"Oh. Alright. Well, which one of them do you want to start with?"

"Tom, I guess. I went to Orlando to stay with him a couple of weeks ago."

"Oh wait a second! Tom's the one who was in your hotel room when Kevin lost his fucking mind, right?"

"Yup."

"How'd that go?"

"It was great. He's great, Zach. Seriously. He's so sweet. He's so awesome to me. And...I mean, not to gross you out, but he's great in bed. He's huge. There's nothing bad about him. He's perfect. I should be dating him."

"That doesn't sound like a problem…"

"Yeah, but you know I won't do relationships. And he wants one. I told him that. It wasn't a secret or anything. Like I laid the cards out on the table from day one with him, and he was completely onboard with that. But...I guess he changed his mind somewhere along the way or whatever. Anyway, the day after I left Orlando and went back on the road, he showed up at the live show that night to surprise me. He left like two days later. I think he was a little upset because I had to tell him...once again...that it wasn't going to happen."

"If he's such a great guy, though, and you like him, maybe you should give him a chance. It could work."

"Yeah, but he lives in Orlando. And I'm here. I mean, it doesn't matter cause I'm always on the road, anyway."

"True. But you could make it work, if you really tried."

"Yeah, and if he was the only one I'd gotten myself involved with, maybe it'd be okay to work on that."

"Alright. Who's next?"

"Fucking Kevin, I guess."

"Don't you dare, Dal," he warned her.

"He apologized. We talked and all."

"And…"

"He told me that he still loves me and made a huge mistake by leaving me." She paused, while Zach gave her a look. "He kissed me."

"No, Dallas! No! He's married. Not that I actually give a flying fuck about his whore wife or his stupid kid, but what he did to you is unforgivable."

"I kissed him back, but a couple of minutes into that whole thing, my brain started functioning again, and I put a stop to it."

"Well, that's good."

"I'm not into him like that anymore."

"You shouldn't be. You're way too good for that dickhead."

"Yeah I know."

"And Jon is number three, right?"

She sighed and nodded. "Yeah."

"What happened with him after he accused us of sleeping together?" Zach asked her with a chuckle.

"I dunno. We've been sleeping together and all. It's great. Seriously...so great. But lately, it feels like he has feelings for me or something, I guess."

Zach raised an eyebrow. "Do you have feelings for him?"

"Honestly?" she breathed. "I didn't, at first. But now…I don't know. I think I might. I've tried to put some distance between us, but...I dunno. I can't seem to stay away from him. He kept saying that he was flying out here to hang out with me, even though I kept telling him not to. We hung out the other night, and our clothes stayed on the whole time. We just...talked, and...it was...it was a really great night."

"Why are you torturing yourself, then? You obviously feel something for the guy, if you're hanging out with him and not taking your clothes off. How often does that happen when you're not hanging out with Claudio or Grant or one of those guys? And I mean...talking to me about these guys...you saved him for last, so that says something. You had more that you wanted to tell me about him than the others. You like him. Big deal, Dal. Just be smart about it because if he hurts you, I'll kill him with my bare hands...and I'll have Claudio help me bury his body somewhere that no one will ever find it."

"But it can't go anywhere."

"And why not?"

"Because he doesn't know...why...you know…why I am the way I am. And I'm not planning on telling him."

"Listen, I know you don't want to talk about it. I don't blame you either. I don't talk about it. But...you might have to, at some point. If you two are getting close and all, you need to be honest with him."

"If he knew, he'd run."

"Why? You didn't do anything wrong."

"Oh yeah. That'll go over really well. Hey Mox, my stepfather ruined my entire life. Wanna hear about it? Good luck!" she spoke with a fake smile.

Zach frowned. "Come on, Dal. None of what he did to you was your fault."

"Yeah, but it's so embarrassing. And it's bad enough that the few people who do know had to find out about it."

"If he cares about you, and judging from what I've seen and from what you tell me, he probably does, he won't think any less of you. No one should, anyway."

" _Mom_ does," she replied, using a mocking tone when she said 'mom'. The last thing she would ever consider Theresa was a mother.

"She's an asshole. And I'm glad she's in fucking jail. That's where she belongs like the animal she is," Zach spat, hostility instantly lacing each word.

"He knows that something happened. He's asked Grant and Colby about it, but they wouldn't tell him."

"They shouldn't. It's your business to tell."

"I don't want to talk about it ever again. It's bad enough knowing that it happened. I'm perfectly happy pretending that it never happened."

"Yeah, but you can't do that." He thought for a moment, not wanting to upset his sister but wanting to give her his two cents on the matter. "Listen, all I'm gonna say is that I really think you should talk to Jon. Give him a chance. He doesn't strike me as a guy who develops feelings for someone very easily. If he has them for you, then, I think that's a big deal, especially because you have them for him."

She nodded. "Saraya likes the idea of me and him...together."

"Well, she cares about you very much. If she's all for it, then, I trust her judgement. She wouldn't encourage you to be with someone she didn't think was good for you."

"Say I did tell him. What if he decides to bail?"

"Then, he's an asshole...and a coward. And I'll fucking kick the shit out of him. I'm sure I'll have some other people who'd be all too happy to help me out with that."

"I don't like remembering any of that shit, much less talking about it," she breathed, shaking her head.

"Me neither. Trust me, it's the worst thing that happened in my life, and it didn't even happen to me."

"I'm fine, though."

"You're not fine."

"Yes, I am."

"Bullshit, Dal. You're trying to pretend that it never happened. Not that I blame you for that at all, but anyone who went through what you did is never fine. That's...that...that could destroy a person."

"Even thinking about it gets me sick to my stomach."

"Same here."

"So, you're team Mox?" she asked.

"Yeah. Besides, after that whole incident where he accused us of being together or whatever, which I think was pretty funny, he actually turned out to be a really cool guy to hang out with. I actually like him."

"When he's being himself and not trying to be a jackass, he is a really cool guy," she agreed with a nod.

* * *

Dallas was laying on her couch watching Impractical Jokers reruns. It was by far one of her favorite shows and always managed to get a laugh out of her, even when she wasn't in the best of moods. Zach had left a bit earlier to catch his flight to New Orleans, and she had picked up some food so she had something to eat while she was home. She was really happy that she had gotten some time to talk to her big brother about what was going on. She always valued his advice and his opinion. Truth be told, Zach was easily the most important person in her life. And while they'd exchanged text messages and phone calls here and there, there was nothing quite like actually being able to spend some time with him.

The doorbell rang. Dallas raised an eyebrow and headed to the front door. Opening it, she was surprised to see Jon standing there with his bags and what looked like grocery bags. She opened the glass storm door.

"What're you doing here?" she asked, stepping out onto the porch, barefoot.

"I told you I'd be coming over. I wasn't lyin'. I just had a signing this morning before I could fly out here."

"But...why?"

"Because...you know...I want to spend some time with the pretty lady that's been driving me crazy." He paused. "Are you gonna invite me in, or are we gonna stand out here chatting?" he questioned.

Dallas gave him a look. "Come inside," she finally invited, holding the glass storm door open with her body.

"Thank you." Jon made his way inside, bringing the bags with him.

Once they were both inside and the front door was closed, he put his bags down and handed the grocery bags to her.

"I uh...I stopped at the store. Picked up some things to help convince you to let me stay here," he said. She glanced in the bags.

"Chips and beer. Not bad. Thanks."

"Yeah. Of course." He kicked his boots off. "So, what're you watching?"

"Impractical Jokers…"

"Heard of it. Never watched it."

"It's hilarious."

Jon sat on the couch, pulling Dallas onto his lap, his arms around her waist. "You're looking beautiful," he told her.

She looked confused. "I'm in sweatshorts."

He shrugged. "What can I say? It doesn't take much for you," he replied.

"You're seriously here to hang out with me?"

"Yeah...I dunno why you're so surprised. I told you I was coming...more than once. It's not my fault that you didn't believe me."

She smirked. "True."

"I've been looking forward to this for a while now," he admitted.

"Oh yeah? And why is that?"

"Because I'm enjoying this whole...thing...between us."

"What thing?" she questioned.

Jon rolled his eyes. "Don't play that game with me."

"Fine. Are you hungry?"

"Starving, actually."

"I'll make us some dinner," she said, standing up.

He raised an eyebrow. "You're gonna make me some dinner? I knew there was a reason I liked you."

Dallas smirked and headed to the kitchen.

* * *

"Oh my God. You're amazing, Dallas," Jon groaned, sitting back in the chair. "That was so delicious."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Dallas said, taking their plates to the sink. She had made her special Italian chicken, mashed potatoes, and broccoli. Part of her was trying to impress him, and she knew that she could cook. After all, they did say that the way to a man's heart was through his stomach. Dallas froze at the thought of trying to get to Jon's heart. That wasn't what she was going for. Nope. Not at all.

Dallas began loading the dishes in the dishwasher. His eyes watched her. There was nothing that he wasn't completely crazy about. To him, she was truly perfect. He knew that was dangerous territory for him. Feelings weren't really his thing, but when it came to Dallas, he knew that he couldn't help himself.

Jon stood up from the table and made his way over to her. His hands found his way onto her hips, as she washed her hands, having finished emptying the sink. He kissed the top of her head affectionately.

"What are you doing back there?" she teasingly asked.

"Just enjoying the view."

She glanced back over her shoulder at him. "You're a completely different person than you were the last time that you were here," she observed.

"Because now it's not just about fucking you?" he asked.

"Yeah…"

"Well, what can I say, Dal? There's something about you that...I dunno...I just got hooked on you."

She smiled. "Well, that's sweet of you, Mox."

"Well, don't go around telling everyone that. It could ruin my reputation." He lifted her up and sat her down on top of the kitchen counter, next to the sink.

She grabbed the dish towel and dried her hands. Jon's hands rested on her thighs, as he stood between her legs. "Hi," she spoke with a grin.

"What the hell are you doing to me?" he questioned, his voice lowered.

"I'm not trying to do anything," she replied, her hands resting on his waist. He brought his forehead onto her shoulder, as his arms encircled her body.

"You're driving me crazy," he groaned.

"I'm not trying to," Dallas softly told him.

"I know."

He pulled his head up and gave her a small smile. "You know...Zach actually likes you," she told him.

"Even after I accused him of sleeping with his sister?"

"Technically, you accused him of being my boyfriend," she pointed out.

He smirked. "Ah. Yes. You're right. Because that's so much better. Sorry. My bad." He paused. "Do you have any other brothers or sisters that I need to make sure I accuse you of dating when I meet them?"

She chuckled. "Nope. It's just Zach and me."

"That's cool. What about the rest of your family?"

She pressed her lips together, getting that familiar wave of nausea that hit her whenever the subject of her family came up. "Well, my dad died when I was five."

"Oh...sorry about that. And your mother?"

Dallas uncomfortably shrugged. "Um...I mean, I don't really have anything to do with her anymore," she replied. "Actually, I hate her."

Jon could tell that the subject was making her uncomfortable. He picked her up off of the counter and brought her into the living room, sitting on the couch with her on his lap.

"So, what else is there to know?"

"About me?"

"No. About the current state of the economy, Dallas. Yes, about you," he replied, giving her a look, before smiling.

She smirked. "Dick. I mean...there's not really much to tell."

"How'd you get into wrestling?"

"Um...well, when I was fifteen, I was living with Zach. He was really into wrestling. Took me to a couple of CZW shows. He was friends with Grant and Scotty and all the guys. That's how I first met them. And uh...I dunno. I liked it. I liked it a lot, actually. I was going through a lot of shit at the time, and I was interested in training. Getting some aggression out. So, the guys helped train me, and that was pretty much it. I couldn't get signed until I was eighteen. And on my eighteenth birthday, I was signed to CZW."

"So, you've known the guys for a long time."

She nodded. "About ten years."

"That's pretty cool." He paused. "Do they know your secrets?"

She shot him a look. "Yeah. Bad luck on my part."

"Why won't anyone say anything about it?"

"Because there are just some things that are so fucked up that no one wants to talk about them."

"I wish you'd talk to me."

"I am talking to you, you know," she replied, giving him a dirty look.

"Fair enough," he relented.

* * *

"That's hilarious," Dallas breathed, laughter lacing her words, before taking another drink of her beer. The pair were sitting on the living room floor, their backs against the couch. The chips and beer that Jon brought over were on the table, and they were enjoying them. While it may not have been the healthiest of snacks, they didn't care. They were just enjoying each other's company more than anything.

"I dunno about that. I wouldn't say it was hilarious."

"No. That is hilarious. You had no idea you were hitting on his mother. That's definitely hilarious."

"Actually, it was pretty embarrassing for me. Not as embarrassing as when I lost my virginity but still..."

Dallas eyed him. "Oh? Do tell," she encouraged, grabbing a potato chip out of the bag and eating it, before washing it down with a drink of her beer. She placed the bottle on top of the coffee table, before laying down with her head on Jon's lap, while she looked up at him. He smiled down at her, appreciating the small sign of affection.

"Well, her mother walked in. She was my friend's older sister. Needless to say...he wasn't really a friend after that. He hated me," he told her. "What about you?"

"What about me?" she asked.

"How old were you when you lost your virginity?"

Dallas chewed on the inside of her cheek and sat up. "I uh...not...mmm...not something I really want to talk about," she breathed, feeling herself begin getting nervous.

"Oh come on. It can't be that bad."

"Seriously, Mox. Can we please just change the subject?"

"To what? It's like every subject we get on, you won't talk about it. I'm trying here. I just wanna know things about you. But you won't tell me that much. Am I wrong for wanting to know about you?"

"Because...there's just...there's not much to tell. That's all."

"So, why are you being so guarded with me?" he questioned.

"Please don't do this," she breathed, resting her back against the couch, once again. Dallas pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. She rested her chin on top of her knees, feeling overwhelmed with this conversation already.

"What am I supposed to do?" he asked her. "I've been honest with you about everything. I've told you anything you've wanted to know. I'm open with you. I don't do that with everyone. Actually, no. I don't do that with anyone. I mean, I tell Joe shit. I tell Colby shit. But…not everything I'm telling you. I'm really trying here. I seriously am…and I never try. But I...I guess...you just...what? Aren't interested in letting me get to know you? Is that what this is?"

"It's not that…"

"Then, what is it?"

Dallas remained silent. Her thoughts went back to her brother's advice earlier in the day. "B-because...if you knew about my past...you...you would run. It's the reason that I'm all fucked up in the head. It's pretty much the reason that Kevin left me. It's the reason that the people who know look at me with pity."

"And you think that whatever happened in your past would change my feelings for you?" he asked her.

"I know it would." Dallas was feeling sick to her stomach with this topic of conversation. She felt the unfamiliar stinging of tears prickling her eyes. "It...it would make you feel differently about me. And then...you'd be like everyone else...looking at me with pity. And quite frankly, Mox, I like the way you look at me." She felt her breathing start to become unsteady. The last thing she wanted to do was cry. That would be so embarrassing. She tried to desperately will the tears forming in her eyes away.

Jon pulled her onto his lap, so she was straddling him. "You want me to be honest with you, Dal?" She nodded. "Nothing in this world could ever change how I feel about you. I like you. A lot. More than a lot. You're constantly on my brain. I feel like a fuckin' teenage girl whenever I'm around you. I have that whole...butterflies in my stomach bullshit. It's...it's fuckin' awful. But...I like it. I've never had that before."

"If I told you, you'd never look at me the same way again."

"How do you know that?"

"Because...when all of the guys found out, they thought differently of me. And don't get me wrong. They're so great to me. I'm lucky to still have them in my life, but...they won't walk away from me because they feel badly for me. I don't want that to be the reason you stick around. I mean, I'm sure they like me and all, but knowing changed things in our friendships."

"I wouldn't stick around, if I didn't want to," he assured her.

"I um…I'm scared," Dallas admitted her voice shaking.

Jon wrapped his arms around her. "Why?"

"I don't like talking about this…"

"If you don't want to, then, don't."

"I'll answer your question," she told him.

"What question?"

"The one you asked before we got into this whole thing."

"Um…? Sorry. I have a shit memory. Probably hit my head too many times," he told her with a smirk.

"How old I was…"

"Oh! Yes. That's right. So, how old were you when you lost your virginity?" he remembered, feeling a little nervous about what was to come.

Dallas's eyes focused on her fumbling hands, which remained in her lap. "I…uh…" She felt beyond nervous. She had no idea how he was going to react to her answer, but she knew that it was about time that she tell him. "I was seven."

"Seven?" he questioned, clearly surprised by her response.

She nodded. "Yup. Seven."

"That's uh…that's kind of young." He thought for a minute. "I feel like I'm missing something here."

"Um…well…my dad died when I was five, like I told you. My mother got remarried when I was seven…I don't really want to…elaborate further."

Jon thought about what she was saying, and it finally hit him. "Oh…oh!" He made a confused face. "But you were a kid."

She shrugged. "Yeah…" Dallas felt completely mortified.

He lifted her chin up, so her eyes would meet his. "Dal, that's not your fault."

"Doesn't make it better."

"No…it doesn't. But it sure as hell doesn't make me think any less of you." He paused. "I mean…so…what ended up…happening?"

"Oh…um…well, when Zach was eighteen, he took me out of there. He'd tried to protect me so many times because…I mean, he knew what was going on. But…it was just a bad situation. So, he left when he turned eighteen and took me with him. I was fifteen then. Um…he took me to the cops. There was a trial. He went to prison. My mother went to prison, too, because she knew what was going on and did nothing. She even defended him and said that I was a liar. But um…I mean…that's pretty much it. She's still there. He was murdered pretty early on. Apparently even in prison, they don't like people who did what he did, and…" She shrugged. "I guess that's it."

"Oh. Wow."

Dallas didn't even notice the tears that had started falling down her cheeks. She was distracted by how uncomfortable she was and how afraid she was that Jon was moments away from getting up and leaving. To her, this was the most embarrassing thing that could happen to her. She didn't want anyone to know what she went through.

"You know, you really turned out…amazing for someone who went through all of that," he told her, using his thumbs to wipe the tears still falling from her cheeks.

"I'm a mess."

He shook his head. "No. You actually have your shit together. You're a fuckin' bad ass. You're strong-minded and strong-willed. You're fun to be with. You're smart. You're the total package. And knowing what happened to you…" He shook his head again. "I know people who aren't even a tenth the person you are, and they never went through the shit that you did. You should be proud of yourself."

"Mox…you don't have to butter me up so I'll sleep with you," she breathed.

"Uh…I'm pretty sure that we've already gotten passed this. If I was here to fuck you, we would've already done it. I'm hanging out with you because I like you. It has nothing to do with sex, at all. At least not anymore."

"I just…" Dallas bit her bottom lip. She felt like she was about to erupt in a massive fit of tears. And crying wasn't something she enjoyed doing.

"You can cry, if you need to," he told her. Jon wasn't one for crying women. If he could avoid that at all costs, he would. It wasn't something he could handle very well. It made him uncomfortable. But things were a lot different when it came to Dallas. He just didn't want to see her upset. He didn't get the impression that she was much of a crier, either. However, with what he had just learned about her, he couldn't really blame her for crying. She had been through some serious shit. And he truly felt for her. Jon also felt like a complete asshole for trying to figure out what the issue with her was. That was certainly not at all what he expected to find out.

"I don't like crying," she told him, her lip quivering, as she tried to gain some control over her emotions, though she wasn't succeeding.

"I don't think too many people enjoy it, but…I mean…if anyone has a good reason to cry, it's you."

"I feel like you're the kind of guy to avoid a crying woman. Not encourage her to get it out of her system."

He softly chuckled. "You're right. Usually I run like hell when a woman starts crying," he admitted.

"Oh yeah? So why is it okay for me to cry?" she asked.

"Because you're not anything like any other woman I've ever met," he breathed. "And I just want to do what I can to help make you feel better. If that means you need to cry on me, then, by all means, go right ahead." He affectionately pushed her hair behind her ears.

"Why are you like this with me?"

"Because I care about you. Remember that whole thing about you telling me not to catch feelings for you?"

"Yeah."

"Whoops. Too late. I caught 'em."

"This wasn't supposed to happen," she softly spoke.

"I know."

"I don't know why I still feel like I'm gonna cry."

"So, just let it out," Jon softly encouraged. He pulled her body against his, hugging her. Her face was pressed against the crook of his neck. Dallas had no idea why, but being with him that way, the raw affection emanating from him caused he tears to uncontrollably fall from her eyes. Her hands held onto him, while his hands affectionately rubbed her back. He kissed her head. The two stayed wrapped up in each other for longer than they intended to.

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you still love me.**


	33. Chapter 33

Rolling With the Punches

Chapter 33

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction.

* * *

 **A/N: My darlings, I apologize for the delay. The intention was to have more time to write this, seeing as I'm off this weekend. And while I'm sure you'll all want to punch me in the head, instead I've been binge watching Sons of Anarchy (I had no idea it was such a good show. I'm addicted) and working on my novel...a real novel. Inspiration hit, and I don't know. I haven't been able to stop myself. So, I am sorry for the delay. I'll work on updating a little more frequently. Love you guys. XoXoXo**

* * *

Dallas opened her eyes. Her head was pounding, and she was confused. Looking around, she quickly recognized that she was in her bedroom…in her bed. She felt a pair of arms around her. Jon was holding her. Part of her was panicking…but the rest of her was content. Dallas realized that she didn't remember going to bed. Actually, the last thing that she remembered was crying on Jon in the living room. She groaned softly, as the embarrassment from letting him know what had happened flooded her. But Jon had been incredible about it. She was actually surprised about how well that had gone. Knowing his general attitude towards pretty much everything, she was confident that he would run far, far away and never look back, avoiding her until one of them left the company. But here he was, holding her, and Dallas liked that. She liked him.

Jon's body was molded against her back, with one arm laced through the crook of her neck, holding the opposite shoulder and the other around her waist. She could feel his breath against the skin of her neck. For some reason this whole arrangement was strangely comforting to her. Then, she felt his lips press a kiss to her shoulder. Dallas turned around, still in his arms.

"Good morning," Jon's raspy, sleep-filled voice greeted her.

"Morning," she softly reciprocated.

"How're you feeling?" he asked.

"Okay. I have a headache."

"Probably a little dehydrated. You cried a lot last night," he pointed out.

Dallas pursed her lips. "Sorry about that."

"Don't be. Please. Not at all. Besides, if it helped you feel even a little bit better, then, it was worth it."

"I don't even remember coming to bed."

"Yeah. About that…you fell asleep on me downstairs. So, I brought you up here and put you to bed," he explained.

"Thank you. Sorry that I showed you a shitty night."

"Stop apologizing, Dal. It wasn't a shitty night. First of all, you made me an amazing, delicious dinner, which I haven't had in…fuck knows how long. Secondly, you opened up to me, finally. And I didn't expect that, so it was a nice surprise, no matter how fucked up what you went through was. Makes me think you might actually trust me…at least a little bit. And then, after all of that, I got to sleep with you…like this, which…I dunno about you, but I enjoyed it. Slept better than I have in a long time. So, I wouldn't consider it a shitty night. Not at all."

"When did you become this guy?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I dunno. Probably when I finally found a woman worth being like this with," he replied, as he moved his hands to her lower back, underneath her t-shirt.

"I like you, Mox," she breathed.

"But…?"

"But what?"

"I felt a 'but' coming on."

She smiled. "No 'but'."

"Good. I like you, too." He paused. "So, what's on the agenda for today?"

"I have to work on planning Shaul's bachelorette party. I was supposed to go to a show tonight with Zach, but he had to fly to Louisiana for work."

"What kind of show?"

"Motley Crüe."

"No shit. That's the first concert I ever went to."

She smirked. "I mean…if you wanna go, I have the tickets."

"Yeah. That'd be awesome."

"Cool."

"What do you have to figure out for the bachelorette party?"

"What to do, who to invite, everything."

"Well, it just so happens that I'm great when it comes to parties."

"Oh yeah? Bachelorette parties? Without female strippers?" Dallas questioned with an amused smile.

"Maybe not bachelorette parties or parties without strippers, but I'm sure it's not that much different," he replied with a chuckle. "Right?"

She laughed. "You're cute."

"Cute? Cute? I mean, I wouldn't say I'm 'cute'. I'd go with something like 'ruggedly handsome'," he replied.

"Well, you're that, too."

"Thank you."

Dallas's smile faded. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot, princess."

"Do you think of me differently?" she asked.

"What do you mean? Because of what you told me?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"I mean, the only thing that's different is that I feel terrible that you dealt with the shit you did. And I want to do whatever I can to help you. But I don't think of you differently. You're still the beautiful bad ass who I've enjoyed fucking around with since the day I met her. Whatever happened to you won't change. But it doesn't define who you are. At least not to me."

"You know, if you don't want to do…whatever this is anymore, it's okay. I'd understand," she told him.

"Are you trying to get rid of me already?"

She gave him a look. "You know I'm not."

"Good because I'm planning on enjoying today with you."

"We have to fly out tomorrow morning. You know that, right?"

He groaned. "But there isn't even a show tomorrow."

"Yeah, but when I looked, there weren't any other flights to South Carolina tomorrow. And we don't need to be in trouble for being late to the show. And we definitely don't need everyone putting two and two together and realizing that we're together."

"Fuck man. That sucks."

"Who're you kidding? You love your job."

"Yeah, but I like spending time with you."

She smiled. "You're sweet. You want pancakes? I'll go make them."

"I love pancakes."

That night, Jon and Dallas were headed to the concert at the Wells Fargo Center. "What do you think? Should we get a cab? Or should I drive?" Dallas questioned.

"I feel like we're probably gonna have a few beers and shit. So, maybe we should just take a cab."

"Mmm. Fair enough. You're right."

"I'll call," he volunteered.

"Thanks."

* * *

The day had been pretty low key. Dallas had managed to plan out Shaul's bachelorette party. Jon was surprisingly helpful, though he'd left to go to the gym for a little while. She had gotten ready for the show, wanting to look good. Mostly because she didn't want Jon's attention wavering to the many other women who would be there, as well.

Dallas had on a pair of Alice + Olivia leather leggings, a red L'AGENCE Margaret double-pocket blouse, with a generous helping of cleavage sticking out, and her black Christian Louboutin Victoria leather pumps. Her hair was down with soft curls at the ends. Her makeup was a bit darker around the eyes. Overall, she was quite satisfied with her appearance.

"The cab will be here in a few."

Dallas gave him a smile. "I have the tickets with me," she said, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

He stood in front of her, bringing a hand onto her hip. "Do you have any idea how hot you are?" he questioned, pulling her closer to him.

"Sweet talker."

"Seriously," he insisted, bringing his other hand onto her other hip. "You are so hot."

Dallas grinned. "You're not too bad yourself, Mox," she replied, resting the palm of her hand against his cheek.

"You're pretty tall tonight," he commented.

"Six inch heels," she said with a wink.

"I'm impressed you can walk in those."

"I've always been short, so I've had to wear heels pretty often. At least often enough to be able to walk in them and not fall on my ass."

"You have no idea how badly I want you," he spoke, his voice low.

"Maybe you can show me later," she replied.

"It's gonna be hard keeping my hands off of you tonight," he breathed.

A smirk curled on Dallas's lips. "So don't."

* * *

"I'm so excited!" Dallas told him, as the pair sat in their seats. She had gotten floor seats, a few rows back, slightly off to the side. She had hoped that neither she nor Dean would be recognized, as that could make for an awkward situation.

"I haven't seen them in years," Jon told her.

"I haven't seen them since last year," she replied with a chuckle.

"I never woulda pegged you for a Crüe fan."

"Why not?"

"You're young…and…I dunno. Didn't strike me as the type."

"I guess I'm just full of surprises."

He nodded. "Yup. I like it."

"Oh yeah?"

"Definitely."

She eyed him. He had is usual jeans, boots, and a t-shirt on, with his black leather jacket. A Philadelphia Flyers hat was on his head, completing his look. He looked good. "So, are we on our very first date?" he asked, caused her head to snap up, her eyes meeting his.

"No," she quickly replied.

"That was a quick answer. After everything, you still don't like me?"

Dallas gave him a look. "Don't do that, Mox."

"Do what?"

"You know I like you. I just…I can't do…that whole dating thing," she replied, her eyes pulling away from his. She began chewing on the inside of her cheek.

"Can you look at me?" Jon asked her.

Hesitantly, she did. "What?" she softly asked.

He saw the look on her face. It was clear that she didn't want to have this particular conversation with him, at the moment. "I'm gonna get us some beer. You want anything else while I'm out there?" he questioned, changing the subject.

Dallas wasn't stupid. She knew he was dropping the subject for her, and she really appreciated it. "No, thank you."

"I'll be right back," he told her with a wink, before getting up and heading to the concession stands.

The brunette quickly pulled her phone out of her bag and called Saraya. She picked up on the second ring. "My love!"

"Hey Ray, I need some advice."

"Alright. Have at it."

"I'm at the show, and—"

"You decided to go alone. Good for you."

"Actually, Mox is with me. He went to get drinks."

"So, loverboy did show up. How's it going?" she teasingly asked.

"I told him…"

"Told him what?"

"Uh…everything…"

"Oka…oh! Shit. How'd that do?" she asked.

"I mean, I was a mess. I ended up crying and all, and he…like…held me. It was so weird, but he's been great."

"Okay. Well, that's a good sign. Right?"

"Yeah. So, we're at the show now and all, and he asked if we were on our first date, and I freaked out in my head and said 'no'. He seemed a little upset about it, but he dropped the subject. I don't know what to do," she haphazardly explained.

"Dal, you can't keep pushing him away. You keep letting him in, and then, pulling back. And now…I mean…you shared something serious with him, and he's still around. He's not being a dickhead. You have to give him some credit for that, especially knowing how he is. You can't keep acting like you're nothing more than two co-workers who are sleeping together because that's not fair, either. Do you like being with him?"

"Yeah…"

"Did you like how he reacted to everything?"

"Yeah."

"So, quit acting like there isn't more to the two of you than some sex. I know that it's scary for you to let him in, but he cares about you. Clearly. At least try giving him some of what he wants. He's really trying to prove himself to you. You can't push him away."

"It's just hard, you know?"

"I know, but I think you two are good for each other. If you keep knocking him down, every time he tries, he may just give up and stop trying. And I'm pretty sure you don't want that. Right?" she asked.

"I don't want that at all." She noticed him walking towards her, a beer in each hand. "He's coming back."

"Alright. Have fun. Don't push him away. And we'll talk soon. Bye lover."

"Bye hot stuff." The two ended their phone call. Dallas tossed her phone back into her bag.

"Hot stuff?" Jon questioned with a smirk and raised eyebrows.

She chuckled. "That was Raya."

"Ah! Now it makes sense." He handed her a beer.

"Thank you," she said, taking it and crossing her legs.

"Anything for you," he replied, placing a hand on her knee. Dallas thought about what Saraya had said. Hesitating momentarily, she wrapped an arm around his arm that was draped across her body, resting on her knee.

Surprised at the small gesture of affection, Jon glanced at her. She gave him a little smile, which he returned, feeling a little bit better about things between them.

* * *

The band was playing. Jon and Dallas were up on their feet, having already consumed a couple of beers each.

"When I was just a young boy/Had to take a little grief/Now that I'm much older/Don't put your shit on me/Grab it and shake/Reach down and scrape it/You just got to/Primal scream and shout/Let that mother out/You just gotta say "hey"/Primal scream and shout/Oooh tear it out/You just gotta say," the two sang along with Vince Neil, both with fresh beers in their hands. They were having a great time, only a couple of songs into the set.

Dallas was moving her hips to the beat of the music, while Jon was animatedly bobbing his head along to the music. His focus drifted from the music and the men on the stage to the woman next to him. She looked happy and like she was enjoying herself. He liked that. Dallas was vastly different than she was the previous night. That made him happy. He hated seeing her cry. It had nothing to do with the fact that he didn't like dealing with crying women. He didn't want her to be upset. Which was something new for him.

Jon knew that he was in way over his head with her. He took a drink of his beer. Jon noticed the other guys sitting around them checking her out. He couldn't really blame them, after all, she was absolutely beautiful. He didn't necessarily feel jealous, but he did make sure he stood a little closer to her, enough to let the other guys know she was claimed. There was just something about her that made him not want to put any distance between them.

Dallas glanced up at him, as the band finished playing the song. "You alright?" she asked, noticing that he seemed to be a bit distracted from the show.

"Yeah," he replied. "Just watching you."

She chuckled me. "Me?" she questioned, taking a sip of her beer.

"Yeah. You're cute. And you look like you're having a good time."

"I am," she replied. "And I'm happy that you're here with me."

"So am I."

They began playing the next song, causing Dallas's attention to distracted from him. She began singing along and dancing to the music, slowing down only to take a drink of her beer. Jon was pretty confident that she had no idea how crazy she was driving him. Dallas was his biggest distraction. He tried to shift his attention off of her, but he was finding it was an incredibly difficult task for him to accomplish.

Dallas noticed that Jon's attention hadn't shifted from her. She winked at him. Grabbing ahold of his hand, she continued dancing, as a smile curled on her lips. She stepped closer to him, gently bumping into him, as she continued moving her body along with the music. Jon was quickly noticing a tightening in his jeans, as he watched her.

The next couple of songs went on with this continuing. By the time the band began playing their ballad "Without You", Jon pulled her back against his chest, his arms around her, holding her to him. He was happy that the tempo had slowed down, and he could get away with this. Her hands hooked onto his arms in front of her. She smiled to herself, allowing herself to enjoy how this felt. He kissed the top of her head.

Taking a shaky breath, Dallas turned around to face him. She wrapped her arms around his torso. His arms still held her close. She gave him the smallest hint of a smile. Unable to go another moment longer without feeling what it was like to press his lips against hers, Jon leaned it, finally kissing her. He was happy that she quickly began kissing him back. His hold on her tightened, as their kiss deepened.

And it was that moment when Jon knew he was completely and utterly screwed, and Dallas finally admitted to herself that she was hooked on him.


	34. Chapter 34

Rolling With the Punches

Chapter 33

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. It didn't happen in real life so don't get any crazy ideas in your head.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm awful, I know. It's been a busy couple of weeks with the holidays and all. But I sat down this morning and typed out the whole chapter...I didn't edit it because I'm pretty sure my eyes are crossing. I hope you all enjoy this. I miss you all and will work on being a better updater. Love you guys XoXoXo**

* * *

"You wanna get a drink or two before we go home?" Dallas asked, as the pair sat in the cab headed away from the Wells Fargo Center.

"Sure," he replied, resting his hand on her leg.

She leaned her body against him, allowing herself to enjoy what it felt like to be this way with the guy who had been driving her crazy. They had a lot of fun at the show, though that kiss was the highlight for the both of them.

"I finally earned it?" he questioned, after a couple of moments of comfortable silence. Clearly, she wasn't the only one who couldn't stop thinking about it.

Dallas's eyes looked up at him, finding a playful grin adorning his face. She knew exactly what he was getting at. That kiss had her lips still stinging.

"Guess so," she replied with half of a smirk.

"I was starting to think you'd never let it happen," he admitted.

"I liked making you sweat it out," she told him.

"Of course you did. You love to torture men, don't you?"

"I'm pretty sure it's just you."

"Fair enough. I guess that makes sense. You're the only person I really enjoy harassing anymore."

"I doubt that. I think you just enjoy driving me out of my mind more than anyone else," she pointed out.

He nodded. "That sounds about right." He paused. "I like you, Dal. I don't know what it is, but I'm just…hooked."

"I like you, too, Mox."

"Is there a 'but' in there somewhere?"

She rolled her eyes. "No. No 'buts'."

Jon smiled, removing his hand from her leg and wrapping it around her shoulders. Her body quickly molded itself to his, her hand resting on his abdomen. Dallas knew she was flirting with dangerous territory. Normally, she would put a stop to it. But it felt too good to be this way with him. She didn't want it to end. Of course she knew that it wouldn't…couldn't last forever. But it wasn't so wrong to enjoy it for now, was it?

"You alright? You look like you're thinking," he spoke, his eyes looking down at her.

Dallas smiled up at him. "I'm good," she replied.

"What's going through that pretty head of yours?"

She shrugged. "I dunno. Just thinking that…this is nice, I guess."

"You guess?"

She let out a short chuckle. "That's not how I meant it. It is nice…really nice."

"So…what does that mean?"

"That I enjoy spending time with you."

"Okay…"

"What are you getting at?"

"Nothing. Just trying to be clear."

"Sure. Don't ruin it," she warned him.

"Okay. Okay," he relented.

* * *

Jon and Dallas stepped into the small, mostly empty bar. He was guiding her, his hand resting on the small of her back. The two took a seat at the bar.

"Hey. What can I get you two?" the bartender asked, stepping up to them.

"Can we both have Buds?" Jon ordered.

"Sure." He walked away to get them their beers.

Dallas smiled at him. "You remember what I drink."

"Of course I do."

"Trying to score points?"

Jon laughed. "No. I don't need to score points with you. You already like me."

"Arrogant much?"

"You wouldn't be the first person to tell me that."

The bartender brought over their drinks. Jon handed over his credit card. "Can you open a tab up for us, my good man?" he playfully questioned.

"Of course," he replied, taking the card.

"Thank you," Dallas said.

"For you? Of course." The two clinked the necks of their beer bottles together and took sips of their beers.

"I had a lot of fun tonight," she told him.

"Me, too." He paused. "You know, you're a lot better than you say you are."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. I've spend enough time with you to see it. You're…you're…" He shook his head, unable to get the smile to fade from his face. "You're great."

Dallas smirked. "Thanks. You're pretty great yourself."

"I know," he replied with joking arrogance.

"You're such a dick," she teased.

Jon chuckled. "I know." He took a drink of his beer.

"I never would've thought that we could be like this," Dallas admitted.

"Like what?"

"Like this…getting along, having fun, being…normal people. Go figure. I'm actually enjoying your company."

"Yeah. So, are you saying that we're friends?" he questioned.

"I uh…I guess. I dunno. It's really weird with us. We didn't get along. Then, we started sleeping together. And now, we get along."

He grinned. "Just get along?"

"I dunno."

"I like you."

"You said that already. Besides, that's why we're hanging out. You don't hate me anymore."

"First of all, I didn't hate you, and I never did. Secondly, you know exactly what I'm saying…I like you as…more than a friend."

"I'd hope so, or else you'd be banging a lot of people."

He rolled his eyes. "You're gonna make me say this, aren't you?"

"Say what?" Dallas asked, feigning innocence.

"Such a bitch," he breathed, smirking, as he shook his head. "Fine. I like you with your clothes on and without my dick in you. I like you as a lot more than a friend. I like you a fuck ton, actually, Dallas."

"Aww Mox…you have a crush on me?" she teasingly questioned.

"I had a crush on you the first time that I fucked you…and the second time…and the third time. But now…it's not just a crush," he admitted.

"What is it?"

"Listen, I'm not tryin' to date you or anything. I don't do that shit. But I like spending time with you…and I wanna keep spending time with you."

She smiled. "Well, I like spending time with you, too," she told him, before taking another drink of her beer. "Sucks that we have to fly out tomorrow."

He nodded. "Yeah…what time is our flight?"

"Eight o'clock. We should be at the airport by six-thirty the latest," Dallas told him.

"That really sucks."

"Yeah."

"I'd rather sleep in and hang out. It's not like we actually have anything to do tomorrow anyway. Why are we flying tomorrow, if we don't have anything to do?" he questioned her.

"Because the only flight besides tomorrow morning is the next afternoon, and we have to be at the arena by two. It's our only option. I feel like I told you this already. Probably more than once," she breathed, shaking her head.

"Oh…yeah." Jon made a face. "Then, it's back to the real world, right?"

Dallas nodded, her eyes focusing on the bottle of beer in front of her. "It's gonna suck having to pretend that none of this happened," she spoke, an obvious twinge of sadness in her voice.

"I mean…we don't have to pretend it didn't happen…"

"Oh?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow, though still keeping an eye on the bottle sitting on the bar in front of her.

"Yeah…well, I mean…not if you don't want to."

Dallas glanced at him. "I guess we'll have to see what happens," she said. Truth was that she wasn't quite sure how she felt about all of this. It was confusing her. She was never supposed to catch feelings. But here she was…feeling like a girl and…catching feelings.

"Why are you acting weird all of a sudden?" he asked.

"I'm not," she defensively shot back.

"You, you are," he insisted. "Come on. Talk to me."

She let out a deep breath. "I dunno. This whole thing is just so confusing to me."

"How so?"

"Because…this wasn't supposed to happen. We weren't supposed to catch feelings, and…I think I have," she admitted, her eyes refusing to move off of the bottle that had become quite visually entrancing to her…mostly because she didn't want to look at the man sitting next to her.

Jon chuckled. "So? Big deal. It doesn't mean anything. We caught feelings. Whatever. We're handling them. We're still doing our thing. We've branched out a bit more by hanging out with our clothes on…and in public. We're just doing our thing. It's not so bad. We don't have to make it some big complicated thing. We're fine," he tried to calm her obvious nerves down.

"But things are gonna get all fucked up, Mox," Dallas said, picking at the label on the bottle that she still refused to pull her eyes off of.

"Dal, listen, we'll take shit as it comes. No need to get all worked up and stressed out about it." He grabbed a hold of her barstool and pulled her clothes to him, his hand resting on her leg.

She finished her beer. Jon motioned for the bartender to bring them another round, as he downed the rest of his beer. He quickly did so, taking the empties with him.

"Are there rules?" she asked, before taking a drink of the fresh beer that had been placed in front of her.

Jon shrugged. "Not if we don't make any."

Dallas nodded. "Fair enough."

"Stop overanalyzing everything. We're enjoying this. Don't ruin it with thinking about the complications."

Dallas finally looked up at him, a smile on playing on her lips. "You're right," she finally breathed.

"I know I am."

* * *

After consuming a couple of more beers, Jon closed the tab. He and Dallas were ready to head back to her house. They weren't drunk but were definitely feeling less inhibited. They walked out of the bar. It was only a short walk back to her place. The air between them was flirty.

Dallas wrapped her arms around her body, feeling a slight chill. Jon wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed the side of her head. "Cold?"

"No."

"Liar." His arms removed themselves from her body. He pulled his jacket off and put it on her. She gave him a half-smile.

"Thanks."

He gave her a wink and walked next to her. "If I grabbed your ass right now, what would happen?" he questioned.

Dallas laughed, before shrugging. "You can go for it and see what happens."

Jon reached behind her and grabbed a handful of her rear end. "That is a nice ass," he breathed. She pushed his hand off of her. "What's that all about?! I was enjoying myself," he protested.

She giggled. "There's more to me than an ass."

He stopped walking in front of her and turned to face her. Jon's face was serious. "You're absolutely right, Dal. I'm sorry. I dunno how I could forget about these fan-fucking-tastic tits," he spoke, his voice becoming abruptly playful with his last sentence.

She chuckled, finding him amusing, as she pulled away from him. She walked passed him, continuing towards her house. "Such a dick," Dallas teased. He laughed, quickly following her.

"You love it."

"You have your moments."

The pair was a few houses down from hers. "I have lots of moments."

With that, he lifted her up over his shoulder and began running towards her house. "Oh my God! What are you doing?" she asked, though she laughed the entire way.

"Taking you home, pretty lady."

Jon stopped in front of her house and put her down. They made their way up the path to her porch. She fished her keys out of her bag, as they headed up the porch steps. Dallas opened the storm door and unlocked the front door. She quickly pushed it open, tossing her keys on to the small table near the door, her bag carelessly being dropped onto the floor. Jon was right behind her, kicking the door shut, as his hands reached for her hips, as she turned around to face him.

The pair crashed into each other, their lips immediately colliding. His arms wrapped around her waist, hers wrapping around his neck. Jon swiftly lifted her up, her legs wrapping around his waist. The pair continued their headed make out session, as he headed up the stairs to her bedroom.

Jon brought her into her room, his hands were resting on her ass, while her fingers played with his hair at the base of his neck. He kicked off his shoes, as he headed towards the bed.

Gently placing Dallas down on top of it, Jon broke their kiss. He stepped back pulling her heels off and dropping them onto the floor. Jon climbed onto the bed, hovering over her body. He quickly brought their lips back together. Dallas's fingers quickly tangled themselves in his hair again. It was a hungry, passionate kiss, though it was lacking the usual lustful, sex-driven undertones. This wasn't like the kisses she had shared with anyone else. This was more intimate. Dallas knew that she would put a stop to it, if she kept thinking about it.

Jon's hands began pushing the jacket off of her. Dallas sat up, though their lips managed to remain attached. He tossed the jacket off of the bed, not caring where it landed, as long as it was out of the way. Dallas's hands cupped his face, holding his mouth to hers, though he had plans to break their kiss momentarily, anyway.

He rolled them over a bit, so they were both laying on their sides, continuing their kiss. He had a hand on her hip, the other threaded through the crook in her neck. Neither was in a rush with each other. The pair was simply enjoying their time together and were getting acquainted with each other's lips. Jon began trailing his kisses down her neck. She let out a moan. Her hand rested on the back of his head. His had moved underneath her top, resting on her hip once again. Dallas's fingers ran down to the hem of his t-shirt and began pulling it up. They pulled apart long enough for her to take it off and toss it aside.

Jon turned them around so she was on top of him. She sat up, straddling him. His hands hurriedly unbuttoned her shirt. He sat up with her and pushed it off of her shoulders. Dallas tossed it away. His arms wrapped around her waist. Her hands cupped his face, while she leaned back in, pressing her lips against his.

Jon brought his lips to her neck, quickly trailing them down her chest. Her head fell back, as she allowed herself to feel everything that he was conjuring up in her. Dallas climbed off of him and began pulling her leggings down. She shed herself of them, before reclaiming her place on top of his lap.

Resting her hands on his shoulders, Jon's hands found their way onto her hips. She felt his eyes burning into her. She gave him a half-smile.

"Dal…you're so beautiful," he told her, his voice low and genuine.

She leaned in and pressed her lips to his. His hands moved up her back and fumbled with her bra for a few moments, before he was able to unhook it. He pulled the garment off of her and flung it over her shoulder, over the foot of the bed. Jon gently pushed her back down on the bed, hovering over her body, before pulling back. He laid next to her and quickly shed himself of his jeans and socks, before climbing back on top of her. Their lips connected again. Her hands began pushing his boxer briefs over his hips. Jon kicked them off. His fingers hooked into the sides of her underwear, pulled the lacy cloth down her legs. He pulled back, sitting on his feet, as he removed them from her completely and dropped them to the floor. He quickly pushed his boxer briefs in the same direction, as they had still been sitting on the edge of the bed.

Jon slid back up her body. He pressed his forehead against hers. Dallas smiled, her eyes locking on his. "I need you, Mox," she breathed.

Having spent more than enough time arguing with her about calling him that, it no longer bothered him. In fact, it felt like it was her own little pet name for him, and he really liked that. He took hold of his straining erection and guided himself into her entrance.

Dallas let out a soft moan, as he began to fill her. She wrapped her legs around him, as he began slowly thrusting inside of her. Jon's arms were on either side of her head, holding himself up, as he continued his actions. She wrapped her arms around his torso. Jon quickly captured her lips with his own.

As much as Jon was against relationships and love, for whatever reason, he was as close to wanting a relationship and falling in love, as he had ever been. While he wasn't planning on admitting it, Dallas had officially won over his heart.

"You feel so good," he spoke against her lips.

"So do you," she said, a smile tugging at her lips. Dallas turned them around, so she was on top of him again. Jon sat up with herm wrapping his arms around the woman who had been on his brain, since the day that she walked into his life…or better yet…stole time from his match, ultimately pissing him off. She was the woman who had been on his brain since the day she brought even more chaos into his life.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, Dallas pressed her lips against his. He held her body against his, as she slowly rolled her hips on top of him. The pair remained that way, only focusing on each other until Dallas's body tensed up. She began trembling, as her release hit her. Her folds tightening around him. He sucked in a deep breath, knowing that he wasn't too far behind her. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, as his release hit him, as well.

The pair was a mess of trembling, sweaty limbs. Jon laid back down on the bed, pulling Dallas down on top of him. She rolled off of his body but was quickly pulled back into his arms. He looked down at her and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips, before the pair fell asleep, still tangled up in each other, feeling a level of satisfaction that they had never felt before.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction, not to be taken seriously. So, please don't.

* * *

A/N: I apologize for the delay. It has been a hectic month. I have had 3 family members in the hospital, so it hasn't been just me being a jerk. And to the person who cowered behind the 'guest' moniker to call me out about posting stories that "we all know" I'm not going to finish, I really hope you're not following me or any of my stories because with a reader like you, I don't need enemies. I don't know why I've had to explain this multiple times on multiple stories, but I don't get a paycheck to do this. And I work 50 hours a week, as it is. If my updating schedule is sporadic, and you have a problem with that, then, don't read anything I write. I have a lot going on in my life, and unfortunately, this can not be my number one priority, as it clearly is yours. I apologize that I have a life and a family and a job, but I do the best that I can. And in fact, I was going to update on the day I received that review, but I was so irritated by it that I had to take a couple of steps back and let my frustration go. Please don't criticize me for a crappy update schedule. You don't know what goes on in my daily life, and you certainly don't know as much about me as you might think you do. I share a lot, but there's a lot more going on in my life. I try to update as often as I can but sometimes life gets in the way. If that's a problem, and you want to get snotty with me about it, then, please, don't read anything I post. I'll let you down and won't tolerate the rude remarks. It goes the same way, when I read a story and the author doesn't update it when I want him/her to, I don't post anything snarky. I move on with my life and deal with it. People have their own lives/problems/etc. Because when I receive comments like that, it makes me want to just not write anymore. I don't need the aggravation. Trust me, I think about updating more than you might realize. It's always on the back of my mind. But family, work, etc., those have to come first. Okay #endrant. To all of my usuals, who don't cause me that kind of grief, I love you all and apologize for the wait. In this time, I've typed up the next few chapters, so the updates shouldn't take a month. Love you guys. Sorry for the rant. Enjoy! XoXoXo

* * *

The next morning, Jon opened his eyes and immediately realized he was alone in bed. He glanced at the clock on the cable box across the room. 9:42. It took a couple of seconds for it to register in his head that the clock was telling him that he had missed the flight to South Carolina. And when that hit him, he shot up in bed. Where was Dallas? His eyes took note of her cell phone charging on the night table. A slight relief flooded him, as he realized that she hadn't just gotten up and left him there. He let out a loud breath.

Getting out of bed, he pulled on a pair of sweatpants from his suitcase and headed into the hallway. The smell of bacon invaded his nostrils and beckoned him to go downstairs, which he did. Ambling over to the kitchen, he saw Dallas, with her back to him, in front of the stove. She wore a large t-shirt. Her hair was thrown messily on top of her head. She had a spatula in her hand and was singing and dancing along with the music playing through the iPod dock that was resting on the kitchen counter.

Jon quickly recognized "Some Kind of Wonderful" by Grand Funk Railroad. He folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall. A smile played on his lips, as he watched her. It relieved him to see that she was clearly in a good mood, after all, they had just missed their flight to their destination. And even catching the next one would make them late for their show.

Dallas continued singing and dancing, as she flipped her pancakes over and turned over the bacon. She spun around, playfully, before a loud shriek escaped her.

"Holy shit!" she cried out, bringing her non-spatula holding hand to her chest, over her heart. "Oh my God, Mox. You scared the hell out of me," she breathed, before the blush rose to her cheeks. "How long have you been standing there?"

He let out a chuckle and walked over to her, taking the spatula out of her hand and placing it on the counter. He took her hand in his and pulled her body against his. "Long enough." He snaked his arms around her waist, as he began playfully dancing. Dallas wrapped her arms around his neck and laughed.

"You're being silly," she breathed. Unexpectedly dipping her, Dallas let out a yelp of surprise.

When Jon pulled her back up, he leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. "So, missed our flight?" he asked, with a raised eyebrow.

Dallas pulled away from him and headed over to the stove, and taking the pancakes out of the pan, placing them in a neat pile on a plate resting on the counter. "Yeah. I woke up a half an hour ago. So, whatever. We'll have to road trip it today," she replied with a casual shrug.

"I figured you'd be less...okay with it," he commented, stepping up behind her and placing his hands on her hips.

Dallas smiled back at him, as she put more pancake batter on the hot pan. "Yeah, but...I don't hate the idea of being stuck with you, in a car, for eight hours. I could think of worse things I could be stuck with," she replied.

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"Anything involving Colby's slutbag or Princess All Red Everything."

"Steen."

"Eh. We talked."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. I think we're alright now. I don't know. Don't really care either. He just isn't on my ass like he was, which I'll take as a win."

"Fair enough."

Dallas pulled the bacon out of the pan it was sizzling in and put the strips on a plate that already had a paper towel on top of it. She began blotting the bacon grease a bit.

"This smells delicious," he breathed.

"Thanks. I like to cook. Always have."

"You're good at it."

"Thanks." She went back to tending to the pancakes, while Jon leaned against the counter, watching her.

"Are we taking one of your cars to the show?" he asked.

Dallas raised an eyebrow. "No. Are you out of your mind?" she incredulously questioned.

"I've been told that I am."

"Cute. I'm not going to cart us around the country in one of my cars. I spent a lot of money on them and love them."

"You're no fun."

" _You're_ no fun," she retorted. "Besides, between driving and flying, it's just easier to get a rental. This way, I can drop it off at the airport, before we go flying around."

"Well, that makes sense. But still."

Dallas put the pancakes on the serving plate. "I hope you're hungry," she said, changing the subject.

"Do you even have to ask?" Jon replied, winking at her.

"True."

She picked up the plate of pancakes, as well as the plate of bacon and brought them onto the island in the kitchen, setting the food down in between the two places she had set for Jon and herself.

"I didn't know you were so domesticated," he commented, before taking a seat next to her.

Dallas rolled her eyes. "There's a lot you don't know about me," she pointed out with a smirk.

"I know. But there's a lot that I do know."

She nodded. "You should consider yourself lucky."

He brought his hand onto her bare thigh. "Trust me, sweetheart, I do."

Flashing a quick smile at him, she quickly changed her demeanor. "Eat. Before it gets cold, Mox."

The pair quickly served themselves helpings of pancakes and bacon, before they began eating. "I really thought you would have been really pissed that we missed our flight," he told her.

Dallas shrugged. "I dunno. I think last night was worth it. Besides, if I remembered to bring my bag up to the bedroom, I would've heard my alarm going off this morning. But it was down here, and I didn't hear it at all. Again...still worth it."

"I'm happy you feel that way. I think it was worth it, too. Besides, now we can spend even more time together on the road. Maybe I can hear more about the woman that's been driving me out of my mind."

She gave him a coy look. "I guess we'll have to see how that plays out for you."

"I guess so."

* * *

"Ready?" Dallas asked, getting into the driver's seat of the rented Volkswagen Jetta, in the Enterprise parking lot. She immediately began programming the address of the hotel they were staying at into the navigation system. Jon and Dallas had taken a cab from her house to the car rental facility.

"Why do you get to drive?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Because it's in my name, and because I say so."

"I'm listed as a driver on there, too."

"So? I'm still number one," she shot, sticking her tongue out at him, teasingly.

Jon stepped up next to the driver's side, his arms unfolding, his hands going to his hips. "Please let me drive."

"No. Get in. Or I'm leaving without you and taking your things with me," she told him.

"You wouldn't."

Putting the car in park, Dallas took her foot off the brake and let the car roll forward slightly. "Want to bet? Because I really don't think you do."

"Ugh. You always play hard ball," he groaned.

"Ah correction. I always play hardball, _and_ I always win," she retorted, enjoying the upper hand she had on him.

"Fine," he conceded and walked around to the passenger's side door. He let himself in and slumped in the front seat, shutting the door behind himself. The car didn't move, while Dallas stared him down. "What now?" he snapped with an eyeroll.

"Safety first. Where's your seatbelt?" she questioned, authoritatively.

Huffing loudly, Jon strapped himself in, eliciting a satisfied smile from Dallas, as she began driving, following the directions the robotic feminine voice called out to her from the speaker.

"You're really difficult, you know."

"I know. And I'm pretty sure _you've_ known that for quite some time now."

He nodded slowly. "That's true."

A comfortable silence fell between the two, as they were heading out on their eight hour drive to South Carolina. Dallas's eyes were on the road ahead, but the majority of her thoughts were on the man sitting next to her. Once they got to the hotel, what would happen? As much as she enjoyed spending time with him and did genuinely have feelings for him, she wasn't ready to make this a full-on, exclusive relationship. They were definitely heading in that direction, but Dallas needed baby steps. She still had a lot going on in her own head to be able to make a serious commitment to someone else.

Jon, on the other hand, had his thoughts in the same place as Dallas, but he was looking at it from the other side. He didn't want anyone else. He hoped that when they got to the hotel and were at the show, things could be a little more stable between them. While he was known as the unstable one and had never really been one for relationships that had any interaction outside of the bedroom, Jon really wanted to try it out with Dallas and see how things went. Although it was a foreign feeling to him, Jon wanted people to know that she was spoken for. He didn't want to run the risk of Kevin or Tom stepping in and trying to ruin what he had been working so hard to achieve.

He was confident that after the night before, she would want that, too. He could see it in her eyes that she cared for him. And he would continue doing his very best to show her that she meant a hell of a lot to him. He just didn't want to push his luck, quite yet. Things were great, but he knew they were still on shaky ground when it came to the residual effects of Dallas's past. He just wanted to make her feel safe and wanted and cared for. Maybe, one day, even loved. But that kind of thing would take time. He knew that, and as much as he wanted to further move things along for the two of them, he certainly didn't want to push her too far and risk having her pull away from him.

The silence was pierced, when Dallas reached out and turned the radio on. She began switching through channels, trying to find something she liked to no avail.

"Where's your iPod?" Jon asked, noticing her frustration.

"In my bag," she replied.

"Is it cool if I get it? I can figure out how to connect it and...make this whole music situation a little easier."

Dallas glanced at him and a smile pulled at her lips. "Yeah. Thanks. But do you even know how to connect anything to Bluetooth? You're not exactly Mr. Technology," she pointed out.

He chuckled. "I can figure these things out."

She raised a skeptical eyebrow but appreciated the gesture, nonetheless. Jon grabbed her bag from the backseat and began digging through, looking for her iPod, which he quickly found in a side pocket. He pulled it out and replaced her bag in the backseat.

Jon looked back and forth between the radio and the pink iPod in his hands. The word 'clueless' didn't even begin to describe the expression on his face. And through the glances in her peripheral vision, Dallas could see that.

"So, hit the button on the top of the iPod. It'll turn it on. On the main menu, you'll want to scroll to the side and enter the settings," she began directing him.

"How?"

"How what?"

"How do I scroll?"

She raised an eyebrow. "With your finger."

"Oh! It's a touchscreen."

"Yeah."

Hiding his smirk, Jon began following her instructions.

"Alright. I'm in."

"Select Bluetooth."

"Okay."

"There should be a little toggle to turn it on. You want to hit that." Dallas began pushing some buttons on the radio. "It's the same radio as my GTI, so I know how to use it. Underneath the toggle, there should be a list of devices populating. One should say VW BT or something like that."

"I see it."

"Okay…" She paused for a moment. "Alright. Select it now."

"Okay." Within seconds, the car had paired with her iPod. "Did it work?"

"Looks like it. Play something."

"Alright…" He, once again, looked at it, unsure of what to do.

"Hit that round button at the bottom. It'll bring you back to the main menu," she told him.

"I knew that," he quickly shot back.

"I'm sure you did."

Within the next few moments, the opening chords of Dallas's entrance theme began playing through the car. "This one's familiar," he spoke, grinning.

"I bet it is. You should know since you're always watching my matches, as if you're my biggest fan in the whole world."

"I am," he replied.

"I think there are some people who'd fight you for that title," she replied.

"Like who?"

"Raya, Claudio, Mercedes, my besties," she coolly replied.

"Yeah. Yeah. I'm a bigger fan than them. As far as I know, I've been in and around parts of you that they can only dream of."

"That's awfully presumptuous of you," she playfully replied.

Jon's eyes snapped over to her. "What? Which one? Please tell me it's not Claudio. The others I think I could handle, but not him. Actually, you spend a lot of time with them. Now, I'm feeling a little confused."

Dallas laughed. "I'm kidding. Nothing has ever happened with any of them. Calm down, killer," she replied. "But your reaction? Priceless."

"Har. Har. Har," he shot back, a pout on his face, as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"You're such a baby," she teased, before reaching over and pulling on his arm. When he uncrossed them, she took his hand in hers and interlaced their fingers.

The pout was almost immediately replaced by a genuine smile, before he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. He brought the back of her hand to his lips, pressing a small, affectionate kiss to it. She let a small smile make its way onto her face, as the pair relaxed into their comfortable silence, listening to the music and focusing on the road.

* * *

Having stopped at a rest stop, Dallas and Jon had finally swapped seats, and he was now driving, as he had wanted to, in the first place.

"I never meant to be so bad to you. One thing I said that I would never do. A look from you, and I would fall from grace. And that would wipe the the smile right from my face," Dallas enthusiastically sang along with the music playing through the car's speakers.

Jon rolled his eyes, having been listening to Dallas sing for the last hour and a half, since he had taken over driving duties. He never expected her to be so animated. But he had to admit that he found her to be the most adorable thing he had ever seen. It made him incredibly happy that she could be this way around him.

"What?" Dallas interrupted her rendition of Asia's 80's classic "Heat of the Moment".

"What?" he questioned in response.

"You keep looking at me."

He chuckled. "You're really cute," he told her.

"How so?"

"You're just...I dunno. You're singing and dancing and having fun. I like this Dallas a lot. She's fun," he told her with a smile on his lips.

She grinned. "You never saw someone sing and dance while riding with you?" she questioned.

"I usually ride with Joe. He's fun and all, but he's not usually one for singing and dancing."

"Well, I enjoy the hits of the eighties and nineties. That's my happy place."

"Were you even alive in the eighties?"

"Nope. Nineteen ninety baby right here, old man."

"Old man? Is that right?"

"Comparatively, you are."

"Compared to you? I'm only five years older than you. Not even."

She smiled, as she enjoyed pushing his buttons, before she went back to singing along with the song.

Jon reached over and placed his hand on her leg. "You're pretty awesome, Dal," he said.

"Oh? And why is that?" she asked.

"Because you're fun...and...I dunno. You're just different...in a good way."

"Well, thank you. I appreciate that."

"I should find a way to ditch the Samoan and ride with you, from now on," he commented.

"You'd have to fight Raya for me."

"Oh...that's true. I mean...for you, I'd do it. But when it comes to you, she'd probably destroy me."

Dallas nodded. "Yeah. She's brutal. She probably would."

He moved the hand on her leg to take her hand in his, once again. As she had before, he interlaced their fingers and placed another gentle, affectionate kiss on the surface of her hand. Then, he rested their joined hands on her lap. Her eyes focused on them for a few moments, trying to ignore the warmness that filled her heart at the sight. It wasn't a feeling that she was used to anymore, and she had forgotten how nice it felt.

Dallas tried her hardest to hide the smile that was forming on her face, but she couldn't. As much as she knew it was a bad idea, she was feeling a lot for the man driving in the seat next to her.

Jon, on the other hand, had no problems with the smile on his face. He wanted her to know that he was happy with her. He wanted her to know that she was the one who made him feel that way.

This time that they had spent together had really pushed them forward. She had opened up to him about her past. They had finally kissed...on the lips. They were no longer just screwing around. There was a hell of a lot more going on between the dysfunctional pair. Jon hoped that Tom would no longer be an issue. He didn't want to share her with anyone. He knew full well that he wasn't exactly in the position to tell her that right now. After all, he knew that doing that would probably be the quickest way to get her to push him away. And he was, in no way, going to let that happen.


	36. Chapter 36

Rolling With the Punches

Chapter 36

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Please don't take it too seriously.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello loves! Sorry, I've been involved in a work issue that has left me with a nonstop headache, but now that it's in the process of getting resolved, I've managed to regain some brain function and edit this chapter, so I can post it. A massive thank you to the people who are the reason that, even though I disappear sometimes, always have my back and are amazing: angelsdee327 (Thank you! It sucks when you want this to be one of your top priority, but real life doesn't always allow that.), alibob687 (It's like you can read my mind lol...), DeeMarie426 (Damn internet trolls getting under my skin. Ugh. But thank you for letting me know I'm not the only one...although I am notorious for not finishing my stories lol but this one will be finished. I have most of it written. All of it outlined. This will be finished lol), LetitReigns525 (Apparently, you, too can read my mind and know how devious I can be lol), bella315 (LOL You are awesome. Jon is just messed up. He's too confused and not used to this situation that he doesn't know what he's doing. Poor guy is out of control lol), nafiondf aof (Thank you!), and Red Pepperz (You are seriously awesome! Thank you!). I love you all. Seriously. You have no idea how happy you all make me. I know you'll probably want to punch me after this. I have to dramatize everything. With so little romantic drama in my real life, I apparently have to visit that lack of drama on these poor people lol Love you guys so much XoXoXo**

* * *

Dallas and Jon were minutes away from their destination, and while neither had said it out loud, they didn't want the ride to end. They had been having fun and were growing closer. They had shared stories from their past, discussed their injuries, talked about the people they had met along the way, and discovered they had some more friends in common. Dallas, though she was afraid of what would come of this growing closeness, was really enjoying getting to know the man she had been spending so much time with. And Jon was happy that Dallas had really been opening up to him. He thought they might have a legitimate shot of making things work. Though there was still a long road ahead, they were both making their way to a place where they could potentially be happy.

"You alright?" Jon spoke up, finally breaking the silence between the pair.

She looked over and gave him a small smile. "Yeah. I'm good," she replied, though her tone said she was anything but.

"I'm not. I was having a lot of fun with you," he admitted. "It sucks that we have to go back to the real world now."

"Agreed. I don't know what you're doing to get rid of those icy walls I've got around my heart, but it's working," she told him, only half-joking.

"Oh yeah? I have the magic touch, huh?"

Rolling her eyes, as a chuckle escaped her, Dallas brought her hand onto Jon's arm. "I don't know if I'd say magic, but you're chipping away at that big block of ice. For whatever reason, I like you," she said.

"'For whatever reason'? I think we both know the reason. I'm irresistible," he replied, his tone playfully cocky.

"Well, let's not grow a massive ego or anything," she shot back, smirking at him.

"Too late for that," he replied with a chortle.

Jon turned into the hotel parking lot and a frown immediately took over his features. Dallas mirrored his disappointment. She wasn't sure how to act, once they got out of the car. What if they ran into someone in the hotel? Would that be awkward? What if someone asked why they were riding together? A million questions began flooding her mind, and she had no answers for any of them. This whole situation was becoming stressful, which was a downer considering how great the rest of the trip had been.

"What's it going to be like when we get in there?" Jon questioned, as if he were able to read her thoughts.

"What do you mean?" she asked, trying to remove the nervousness from her voice, though she did not succeed.

"Between us."

"I don't know…"

Not wanting to push the subject, Jon didn't reply. He pulled into an empty parking space. The two sat there in silence for a few moments. Neither one wanted to get out of the car and face the real world. They enjoyed being in their little, private bubble together.

"What if someone sees us?" she breathed, not intending to have said that out loud.

Jon winced, as if someone had hit him. Apparently they hadn't moved as far ahead in their relationship as he had thought. "I dunno, Dal," he breathed, his eyes darkening with hostility. He got out of the car, leaving Dallas furrowing her brow in confusion.

She grabbed her bag from the backseat and followed behind him, moments later, meeting with him at the trunk of the car. He began piling their bags onto the asphalt, before shutting the car. "Is something wrong?" she asked, knowing the answer.

"Nope. Nothing's wrong. Everything's fine," he replied, a little too quickly.

Dallas rolled her eyes. She wasn't in the mood to get into it with him, at the moment. She took her bags and began heading towards the entrance of the hotel, her legs moving quickly. She heard Jon shut the trunk.

"Dal, wait," he called after her. She ignored him. "Please."

She stopped in her tracks and turned around. "Why? So you can act like a two-year old some more?" she shot.

He dropped his head, for a few moments, before his eyes met hers. "I deserve that. I'm sorry. I just...I had a great time with you, and I don't want it to end. I'm sorry," he apologized.

"I had a great time, too," she agreed. "But I don't appreciate you giving me some attitude because you want more than I'm ready to give you."

"And you're right. I'm sorry. Let's just...can we forget that happened?"

"I'll give you another shot. Just don't be a jerk, Mox."

"I won't."

He leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to her lips, before the pair continued on their way into the hotel. The walked through the automatic sliding doors and headed towards the desk.

"Nice of you two to join us," a familiar, though unwelcome voice greeted the pair.

They stopped and turned to face the intrusion. "Kev, we're on good terms now. Or did you forget already?" Dallas replied, giving him an obviously fake smile.

"I'm just saying hi and being a sarcastic asshole, in the process," he replied, before giving them an antagonizing smile.

"I bet," Jon shot back. He had come close to ruining what had been a great night on his own. He certainly didn't need Kevin helping with that.

"This is an interesting turn of events. You two showing up together, at the hotel that we're all staying in. How'd that come about?"

Dallas rolled her eyes. "Stop being nosy."

"What?! We're all friends here," Kevin defended himself.

"Speak for yourself," Jon muttered. The recipient of the dig did not respond.

"We're just checking in. No big deal," Dallas brushed his curiosity off.

"To the same room?" he goaded her.

"No. Different rooms. Where's your wife? She coming to visit any time soon?" Dallas retorted with a raised eyebrow.

"Maybe. I'll have to introduce the two of you. So, are you two a thing now? Last I heard, it was you and Tom that were getting all cozy."

"Tom is great, but you know me…"

"I do know you. Very well, in fact. You prefer assholes," he replied with a smirk, as he eyed Jon, to hammer his point home.

"Well, we're just friends," she shot back. "Nothing to get all up in arms about. Seriously, though, mind your business."

Jon's eyes were immediately on the short brunette next to him, as he looked completely offended. The expression on his face did not go unnoticed by the instigator, either.

"Well, I'll be seeing you two later," Kevin said with a smirk, as he was proud of the turmoil he had managed to cause in such a short span of time.

"You're such a dick," Dallas spat.

He winked at her. "I know," he proudly said, before heading off.

Once he was out of earshot, Dallas took a deep breath and forced a smile in Jon's direction. "So, are you rooming with Joe or…?" she asked, trying to make the mood less tense than it currently was, thanks to Kevin.

"Just friends, Dal? Really? We're just friends?" Jon pointedly asked, completely ignoring her question.

She let out a low groan. "First of all, what else would you call us? Secondly, Kevin was trying to start trouble. And third of all, are you really doing this? Because I'm pretty sure we just got through the same issue not fifteen seconds ago, outside."

"You make it sound like I'm an inconvenience. We're just friends? Then, what were these past few days? They felt a little more than just friendly to me."

"You're being way too dramatic, and I really don't have the patience to deal with this right now, Mox. I don't know why we have to have this conversation now, either. I don't know why you can't just be content with everything that is going on between us," she said, shaking her head.

"Everything going on between us? As in us being 'just friends'?" he mockingly retorted, nodding his head.

"This is just weird now. We agreed...no rules. And we were both fine with that until Kevin started shit."

"I don't know why it's necessary for you to tell your ex-boyfriend that we're just friends," he shot.

"Because it's not his business. It's not anyone's business what goes on between us, unless we choose to tell them. And quite frankly, I don't need everyone knowing my business. You're the only one who has been going around and telling everyone that we're sleeping together, which by the way, doesn't mean we're in a committed relationship or anything, if you didn't know."

"Because you weren't telling anyone."

"Because that's what we agreed to," she snapped.

"You're being ridiculous. I don't know why I bothered opening up to you. I don't know why I even thought it'd be a good idea to spend time with you. You're turning into a high school girl, and it's not attractive at all. How dare you treat me like this. You know I have a hard time with this shit, and instead of being happy that we've moved so far out of my comfort zone that I feel like I'm driving over black ice in a car with balding tires, you whine about how it isn't enough for you. Well, at least I can say I tried. This is a fucking joke," she breathed, frustrated, irritated, and annoyed with Jon. "I'm going to check in. I'm going up to my room. And I do not want to talk to you. There's no reason for us to get into an argument over something so stupid."

"Seriously? Now, it's stupid?" he growled.

"Yes, seriously, and yes, it's stupid," she shot. "This was supposed to be fun. I've been trying to give you more of what you want. If you don't see that or if it isn't enough for you, then, I really don't know what you expect me to say."

With that, she turned and headed towards the desk, shaking her head. Jon stood there, dumbfounded and almost instantly regretting his behavior. He knew that she was right. She had really been trying to do right by him. She had given him a lot. In fact, she had given him a lot more than he had expected her to. The fact that she was uncomfortable telling Kevin that they were more than friends wasn't really such a big deal, in hindsight.

Then again, he _was_ her ex-boyfriend, after all. Jon was getting annoyed with himself for the thoughts flitting through his head. He wasn't sure why he was acting like this. He made fun of people for acting the way he was, having the thoughts he was having. And here he was...acting like some love-struck teenager. He would have been embarrassed of himself, had he not already been so mad at himself for the way he had just acted.

Jon made his way over to the desk and began the check in process with another of the hotel employees. His eyes kept finding themselves on Dallas, though the only look he received in return was a scowl.

"Dallas," he spoke.

Taking her key card and thanking the woman who had given it to her, Dallas turned and walked away from the desk. Jon frowned, watching her take off towards the elevators. He knew he screwed up. But he didn't know how to fix it. She was stubborn. In this particular situation, he couldn't really blame her either.

As the woman on the other side of the desk handed him his key card for his hotel room, Jon took it. "Thank you," he said, before turning and heading towards the elevators. He hit the 'Up' button just as the doors were closing. His action caused them to open again, revealing an aggravated-looking Dallas.

He got in the elevator with her. She glared at him but remained silent. The pair stood next to each other in silence. Jon wanted to speak but was unsure of what to say, knowing that she was already pretty upset with him.

Finally, he turned to her. "Can you talk to me?"

Dallas rolled her eyes.

"Seriously?"

"Honestly, right now, I'm just annoyed with you, and I don't want to talk about it. I don't want to deal with it. I just need some time to cool off before we talk about it or whatever we're supposed to do," she told him.

"Okay…"

The elevator doors opened and the pair walked out. They headed down the hallway, before Jon stopped at his door, though his eyes remained focused on Dallas, who continued on down to her room. Once she had unlocked the door, she sent one last glance in his direction, before making her way inside.

Frowning to himself, Jon unlocked the door to his room and went in. He kicked the door shut behind himself and dropped his bags. He was not a happy camper.

* * *

Dallas, on the other hand, plopped down on to her bed and let out a groan of frustration. Why couldn't he understand that she was trying? She threw her arms over her face. She wasn't sure what to do or what to even say to him. It was a slap in the face. Dallas had been trying for him. She admitted she had feelings for him. They had grown a lot closer lately. And she was far out of her comfort zone. She had been doing it all for him. It hurt her to think that it still wasn't enough. In fact, it put a knot in her stomach and a lump in her throat. She wasn't at the point that she was going to cry over him, but she was still upset with the situation.

She sat up on the bed and moped a bit. This wasn't how she wanted things to be. Quite frankly, Dallas had been hoping that they'd be sneaking into each other's rooms and hanging out. That was what she wanted. Instead, she really didn't want to speak to Jon. She just wanted to figure out what was going on in her head and hope that he would come to his senses and realize just how hard she was trying. But she wasn't confident in that. She knew all-too well that things don't work out as you want them to.

Sitting up and pulling her cell phone out of her bag, she quickly called Saraya.

"Hello darling," she greeted, in a cheery tone.

"Are you busy?" Dallas asked her.

"At midnight? No."

"Can I come talk to you?"

"Of course, sunshine," she enthusiastically replied. "Are you okay? You sound like something's wrong."

"I don't know…"

"Alright. Four-twelve."

"Thanks." Dallas ended the call and hastily left the room, only grabbing her key card and cell phone. She headed down the hallway to her best friend's room and knocked on the door.

Saraya opened it. "Hey lady." Then, she made a face. "Uh oh. Come in."

Dallas walked into the room, while her best friend shut the door behind her. "I don't know what's going on anymore," she breathed.

"With Jon?"

"Yeah."

Dallas and Saraya sat on the bed, the brunette kicking off her flip flops. "Uh oh. Alright. I guess we can start with what happened when he showed up on your doorstep."

"Alright well, to make a long story short, as you know, I told him about what happened. Not in detail or anything. But he knows that Jack is living impaired, and Theresa is in prison."

"And he reacted well, right?"

"Yeah. He was great. I didn't expect him to be so great, either. I cried on him. He let me. We went to the show together, as you know. It was fun. I finally let him kiss me."

"Ohhhh. And how was that?"

Dallas unsuccessfully tried to hide the smile pulling at her lips. "It was...nice."

Saraya rolled her eyes. "Nice? Come on. You can do better than that. Spill it, sister."

"It was amazing. Perfect, actually."

"Aw little Dallas is in love."

"No, but I'm definitely in...like. After the show, we went to the bar, had some beers, went back to my house, had sex...affectionate sex."

"Love making," Saraya corrected.

"Affectionate sex," Dallas insisted. "But anyway, we missed our flight this morning. And I made breakfast for us, and it was amazing. He was being silly and was dancing with me and being cute. It was nice. We road-tripped it here. It was so much fun. I can honestly say that I was happy and really had the best time with him."

"But…?"

"But we got here. Kevin saw us together. And true to form, he was being a troublemaker and was asking questions. I told him that we're just friends, and Mox had a fit about it. He was acting like I was doing something wrong because I told my ex-boyfriend that we were just friends. And we ended up getting into it in the lobby. I told him he should appreciate how hard I've been trying with him and how much I've really been letting him in, but...I don't know. I guess the whole thing was just too good to be true."

"What does he want? To _be_ with you?" Saraya asked.

Dallas shrugged. "I have no idea. We both agreed on this whole not having rules thing and having fun...and that was just last night," she explained. "I thought we were on the same page, but apparently not."

"He obviously wants more from you."

"But he told me he doesn't do relationships either."

"He changed his mind."

"But why?"

"Because he likes you."

Dallas made a face. "But we're not relationship people."

"Anyone is a relationship person, once they find the right person they want to be with," Saraya pointed out.

"I guess…"

"So, how'd you leave it off with him?"

"I mean, I went off on him, checked in. We shared an elevator up here, which was uncomfortable because I wasn't speaking to him. And we went to our separate rooms. That was pretty much it."

"Ouch."

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

"Well, first off, I'm glad you finally started moving things along with him. I like the two of you together. It's like you both fit so well. I feel like maybe he's feeling more than he wants to admit, and with Kevin there, he felt jealous. I mean, he knows you've literally only dated Kevin. Maybe it makes him feel a little insecure."

"But he agreed to this."

"How do you feel about it? Do you want to be with him? Where's your head at?" Saraya questioned.

"I mean I like him. I have some feelings for him, but I'm not really...emotionally invested or anything."

"That's a lie, if I've ever heard one. If you weren't emotionally invested, you wouldn't be here right now. You'd be in your room, hanging out, like there wasn't anything wrong. You're obviously upset over this."

"Yeah, but I don't want to be."

"But you are. And if you weren't emotionally invested, you wouldn't be upset about it. But you're upset about it because you're emotionally invested. There's no way around it. You have to deal with that. But I completely get where you're coming from. You've really put yourself out there for him. He should appreciate the effort you've put in. You're trying for, literally, the second time in your life. You tried with Kevin, and now you're trying with Jon. You deserve some credit for that." She paused. "I think it's all jealousy with him. If you didn't have anyone else interested in you, I don't think you'd be having this problem with him. He'd be fine with it, if he didn't feel like he had competition. Do you know what I mean?"

"Yeah. I just wish I didn't feel like I wanted to throw up because of it."

Saraya chuckled. "You've really got it bad."

Dallas groaned. "I don't want to."

"Deal with it."

* * *

Jon impatiently knocked on the door to Joe's room. They only had separate rooms because Jon wasn't sure what was going to happen with Dallas, and he didn't want to risk any inconvenient interruptions or anything. He was in no mood for games. He was irritated from his interaction with Dallas. He wasn't sure if he was more irritated with her or himself.

The door opened. "Hey," Joe greeted. He noticed the look on his friend's face and furrowed his brow. "What's wrong?"

The Lunatic Fringe wordlessly made his way into the room, a scowl on his face. Joe shut the door and leaned his back against it, crossing his arms over his chest. He was waiting for an answer to his question.

"I can't win," he finally muttered, shaking his head.

"I'm guessing this has something to do with your girlfriend," Joe replied, pushing himself up off of the door and walking towards the center of the room.

"Don't call her that. If she hears you, she'll get all pissed off," he shot back, spite lacing his words.

"Alright. Out with it."

"She told Steen that we're just friends."

"Okay...and that's a bad thing?"

"We had a great time. Things moved up another level. We kissed."

"Another level? Would you mean seventh grade?" Joe teased him.

Jon shot him a look. "Do I honestly look like I'm in the mood for jokes?"

"Sorry. Continue."

"Everything was perfect. She opened up to me about things. We talked. It was...it was different than what I'm used to. But I liked it. A lot. We missed our flight this morning, so we took a road trip and drove here together. It was perfect. We had fun. And then, everything changed when we came into this fucking hotel. And that stupid fuck Steen had to stick his nose where it didn't belong, and everything got so fucked up."

"And she said that you're just friends."

"Well...yeah. I mean, after everything that happened between us, she thinks we're just friends now? Seriously? What the fuck?"

"Did you talk about the whole label thing? Or whatever it is that's going on between you two?" Joe asked him.

"Well...kind of…"

"And?"

"And we agreed to no rules."

"So, what you're saying is that you both discussed it and agreed to not having any rules or anything, but now you're mad at her because she's sticking with what the two of you talked about and agreed on?" Joe questioned him, his mouth curling up into a taunting smile.

"Uh...I mean…" Jon thought for a moment. "Yeah."

Joe chortled. "That's pretty funny. _You're_ really funny. You've got it pretty bad, man. Are you in love with her or something?"

"No fuckin' way, man!" he immediately denied.

"You have to stop doing this," Joe told him.

"Stop doing what? I didn't do anything. She's the one who's acting like we're not...a thing," he stubbornly replied.

The Samoan shook his head, a smirk on his face. "You're telling her one thing and going with something else completely. You can't agree to not have any rules with her, and then, get upset when she's not calling you her boyfriend and tells other people that you two are just friends," Joe explained, trying to use logic to get through his friend's head.

Jon rolled his eyes. "I wasn't...I don't…" He sat on the couch and put his face in his hands. "Fuck!"

Joe took a seat next to him and slapped him on the back. "I think you owe the lady an apology...and maybe an explanation as to why you got pissed off with her. And if you want more, which you obviously do, you have to sit down and talk to her about it. Not just go off acting like a dickhead because she can't read your mind."

"I told her no rules. If I go back on that, she'll end up lose interest in me...just like she did with Tom."

"I dunno about that. You should really be honest with her..."

Jon nodded. "I know. I just…shit. How the fuck did this happen?"

"How the fuck did what happen?"

"How did I catch feelings and start acting like...a little bitch?"

"Because she's like the female you. You two are a great...couple or whatever it is that you are. You just have to tell her the truth and can't get mad about stupid shit like her telling Steen that you two are just friends."

"I know. It just...it really pissed me off that she acted like I meant nothing to her."

"You seriously sound like a teenage girl. You need to sit down and tell her how you really feel about her."

"Yeah, but what if she isn't interested in anything like that? I mean, what if she ends things with us like she did with Tom?" he questioned, clearly out of his element.

Joe rolled his eyes. "I don't think she will. She told you about whatever it was that happened to her, right?"

"Yeah."

"Is it really that bad?"

Jon nodded. "Yeah."

"But again…she told you about it?"

"Yeah, she did."

"But you think that if you tell her how you feel about her, she'd end this whole thing between the two of you? Do you know how stupid that sounds?"

"I...I guess I didn't think about it like that."

"Of course you didn't. You act first, think later. You need to apologize to her and fix things."

"Yeah...I do," Jon agreed.


	37. Chapter 37

Rolling With the Punches

Chapter 37

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction by someone who sucks at updating in a timely fashion.

* * *

 **A/N: I know. I'm a douche. I apologize. I know I don't finish my stories. I'm awful with it. I can promise you, this one will be finished...and hopefully I'll be able to finish a couple of others soon. I've got a trip to Jamaica in a couple of weeks, which means I can write on the beach. I appreciate everyone who sticks by me, even though I'm a shitty updater and don't finish anything I start. I really am sorry. Real life just keeps kicking my ass :( Love you guys XoXoXo**

* * *

Dallas had somehow managed to completely avoid Jon for the entirety of the next morning. She still had no interest in speaking to him. She was still upset that he went off on her the way that he did for telling Kevin that they were just friends. Dallas believed he was overreacting. Besides, what claim did he have on her? None. As far as Dallas was concerned, she was single. Jon wasn't her boyfriend. Granted, at this point, she was quite sure that she wasn't going to be getting involved with anyone else, but he didn't need to know that. And with his behavior, she didn't think he didn't deserve to know, either.

Hanging out in the locker room, Dallas wasn't her usual self. She had too much going on in her head to be her usual bitchy self, at the moment. Part of her wanted to go talk to Jon. But she would do no such thing without an apology from him. She deserved credit from him and for him to go off the way he did was not cool with her.

"You alright?" Becky questioned.

"Yeah…"

"Ah know when yeh lyin' to meh."

Dallas smirked at her friend's ability to see through her. Not that she was exactly hiding it very well. "Yeah. Yeah. Just guy problems."

"With Jon?" The brunette nodded. "The both of yeh are crazy. I don't understand why yeh play these games with each other."

"It's not like that. He just...he acted like an idiot over something so stupid. And I've been trying to open up to him and all. It's just really bothering me that I'm trying here, and it's not good enough for him."

"Ah yeh typical man. What a surprise."

"Yeah. And I think he owes me an apology."

"So tell 'im that."

"I don't want to talk to him."

Becky gave her a look. "Do yeh really think that'll help the situation?" she questioned her.

"I mean, no, but it's not my job to fix his mistake."

"But that's not how a relationship works."

"We're not in a relationship."

Becky rolled her eyes. "Riiight."

"We're not. I don't do relationships."

"Dallas, a relationship isn't necessarily a guy asking a girl tah be his girlfriend. You two 'ave been doing this now for a few weeks. You obviously like 'im."

"I do, but…"

"Oh come on, Dallas." She paused. "If yeh like 'im, why are yeh bein' so difficult? Yeh need tah tell him now yeh feel. Men aren't always so good with this stuff. Especially when they really care about yeh. Sometimes they need that push."

Dallas considered her friend's advice. "Maybe you're right."

"Ah am."

* * *

Jon was frustrated. Maybe Joe was right. He overreacted, and it was unfair to Dallas when she had been clearly trying really hard to open up to him. But at the same time, he was still hurt. Things had been so perfect with them, and now they were just a mess.

At the evening's house show, Jon was looking for Dallas's locker room. She had somehow managed to avoid him all day. He was over all of it. He wanted to give in, apologize, and just make things right with her.

Turning a corner, his eyes took in a sight that he did not want to see, especially with everything that was going on with Dallas. Anger completely consumed him. He made one mistake. One fucking mistake and this is what she goes ahead and does?

Tom was there. Fucking Tom. He thought they were was passed all of this Tom shit, but clearly he was wrong. Very wrong. Suddenly, he lost any and all interest in apologizing to her. It was a low blow, but one mistake was all it took for her to go running back to loverboy. That was not okay with him.

"Hey Jon," Tom greeted.

Jon rolled his eyes. "Hey…"

"You alright? You look pissed off."

"Nope. Never been better. Looking for your girlfriend?" he icily shot.

"My girlfriend? Oh. Dallas." He let out a chuckle. Jon had to refrain from punching him in the face.

"Yeah."

"I am, actually. You know which locker room she's in, man?" Tom questioned.

"Nope," he replied, popping the 'p'.

"Oh. Alright. I'm sure I'll find it."

"Yeah. I'm sure you will." With that, Jon stormed off. He headed to the locker room he was sharing with Joe. He was fuming. If that's how she was going to act after he made one mistake, then, he didn't want to be with her. It was immature and mean, and he honestly thought they were in a better place than that.

Slamming the locker room door shut, Jon stomped over to the opposite wall and punched it, his fist breaking through the sheetrock. Joe sat up on the steel folding chair he had been occupying, suddenly confused. However, he was confident that this had something to do with Dallas.

"You wanna talk about it?" he asked.

"No."

"Okay."

"I just don't know what the hell her problem is. If she wants to be pissed off at me, that's fine. I get that. I have a tendency to say things that she doesn't like. Whatever. But to call Tom? Fuckin' Tom?" he growled.

"So, you do want to talk. You mean Dallas called Tom?"

"Yeah. And he's here."

Joe furrowed his brow. "Excuse me? Are you serious? Who told you that she called him?"

"Well, no one. But what a coincidence that we have one little issue, and he pops in the next fuckin' day. I'd have to say that's too much of a coincidence for me."

"It could be a coincidence."

"Oh really? Whose side are you on here?"

"I'm on your side. Don't even act like you don't know that. I'm your best friend, and it's my job to tell you when I think you're overreacting. And there's a pretty good chance that you're overreacting right now."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"And why's that?"

"Because we all work for the same company. She might not've called him. He has a knack for surprising her anyway. Or did you forget about that while you were jumping to conclusions?"

"It's just too much of a coincidence for me."

Joe rolled his eyes. "Just don't do anything crazy. You don't want to lose her all because of a misunderstanding. Just talk to her."

"Yeah, well, with Tom here, I think we're way passed that."

"I hope you know what you're doing."

"Yeah, well, trust me, two can play at this game."

The Samoan powerhouse shook his head, sure that this was going to end badly.

* * *

Dallas opened the locker room door. She needed to go find Jon and apologize…and tell him how she felt. Hopefully, she would get an apology out of him for his part, and things could go back to the way they were, before all of that unpleasantness in the hotel lobby happened.

But it looked like fate had a different plan for her. Her eyes stared straight ahead into an all-too familiar chest. They traveled up to the smiling face of Tom. Part of her wanted to slam the door shut and try this out all over again.

"Hey!" he greeted.

"Hey Tom," she replied, forcing a smile.

"How are you?"

"Good. Good. What...I mean...how are you?"

"Good," he replied.

"What are you doing here?"

"Oh...uh...I've got a match."

"Seriously?! They're moving you up to the main roster?" she asked.

"Oh. No. No. Just...maybe gauging where the crowd is with me, I guess. It's just a dark match. But, hopefully soon."

"That's so cool."

"Are you uh...are you busy?"

"Oh...uh...I mean...not really." She felt bad blowing him off, but she really wanted to talk to Jon. Dallas decided that she could entertain Tom for a little while, before going to see Jon. That would be fair enough. She left the locker room, and the two walked down the hallway, shrouded in an awkward silence. Then again, she wasn't sure what else she expected. Last time they saw each other, it was a bit uncomfortable, when she told him that she only wanted to be his friend.

"So, how have things been?" Tom asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"Good. Really good." The smile on her face was the result of one man, even if he was driving her crazy. He was still responsible for the smile that had become commonplace for her.

"That's good. What's got you so happy?"

"Oh...uh...that title shot," she lied. "I'm so excited."

"Yeah. That's so awesome. You and Raya had an incredible match."

"Thanks."

There was the pesky silence again. "Anything else going on?"

She shrugged. "Eh. Same old."

"I uh ran into Jon when I was looking for you. He was acting weird."

Fuck. No. "You ran into Mox?" she questioned, her head snapping to the side, looking at Tom with nervousness lacing her words.

"Yeah. He referred to you as my girlfriend," he replied with a smirk.

Well, that wasn't a good thing. Her cell phone began ringing. Dallas pulled it out of her pocket. "Shit. I have to take this. Just give me a minute."

"Sure. I'll uh...catch ya later."

She gave him a smile, before answering the phone. "Shauly!"

"Hey boo thang!"

"How are ya, lady?"

"Good. And you?"

"Ugh. You don't even want to know the half of it."

"Uh oh. Trouble in paradise already? I thought things were good...what? A couple of days ago?"

"Well, Tom just showed up unexpectedly."

"Uh oh. Is Jon pissed?"

"Well, I'm not sure. We're not exactly speaking."

"Seriously? It was two days ago that things were perfect."

"I know. It was a stupid fight."

"Oh man."

"Anyway, let's talk about something that doesn't make me want to rip my hair out."

"Oh! Yes. The reason I called. Um...so I wanted to ask you a question. But if you say no, it's perfectly fine. I just figured I'd ask."

"What's up, lovebug?"

"So, I told Matt about your plans for the bachelorette party, and he thought it sounded like fun. So, we were thinking that maybe we could do one of those combined bachelor/bachelorette parties, if it was okay with you."

"Oh yeah! Of course! You know I love Matty Matt!"

"Are you sure? If you don't want to, it's really okay."

"Seriously, it's totally cool."

"Okay. Thank you, Dal."

"Don't thank me. I miss the guys, so I'm more than happy to have them come with us."

"Good. Now, anyway, you want to tell me more about your boyfriend drama?"

"He's not my boyfriend."

"Oh bullshit. What happened?"

"He got all upset with me when I told Kevin that we're just friends."

"Why?"

"I mean, I don't know…I thought we were all no rules, but I guess…I don't know. Maybe that's one of those things…you know, where he says one thing but means another. Anyway, I went to go talk to him just before, but I ran into Tom. And he mentioned that he ran into Mox. So, I'm sure he thinks that I knew that was happening or invited him here or something."

"Shit. You really need to go talk to him. Where's Tom?"

"Well, we were talking, but then you called and interrupted the awkwardness, which was amazing. So, seriously, thank you for this."

Shaul chuckled. "I aim to please. You need to go find your man and fix this whole mess."

"I know. Before it gets even more fucked up than it already is."

"Yup. Especially with Tom around now."

"Yeah…"

"I'll talk to you later, Dal."

"Later, Shauly."

"I guess I really fucked things up for you, huh?" Kevin's voice spoke from behind.

Dallas turned around, bringing her hand to her chest in surprise. "You just scared the shit out of me," she said, slipping her phone into the pocket of her jeans.

He shrugged. "I'm trying to destroy your life. What can I say?" he teased.

She gave him a look. "Clearly."

"In my defense, though, you're the one who took the opportunity and fucked it up royally," he shot.

"Excuse me?"

" _You're_ the one who said you guys were just friends. That had nothing to do with me," he pointed out.

"Because technically all we are is friends," Dallas shot.

Kevin chuckled. "Ah you're funny. You think you can call yourself 'just friends' with a guy who looks at you like that? Not to mention, I've never seen you smile the way you've been lately. I mean, let's call it what this is. You two are completely in love with each other," he explained, giving her one of his smartass looks.

Suddenly, the guilt began setting in. "We're not in love," she protested. Kevin rolled his eyes at her denial. "You think I was wrong?"

"Dal, you know I think you're wonderful and all. I mean, we spent a long time together. But…yeah. I think you're wrong. How would you feel if he told his ex-girlfriend that you were just his friend?" Kevin retorted.

Dallas thought for a moment, before she frowned. "Fuck. I fucked up."

"I know you've been through a lot of shit and all. But he's been good for you. I've never seen you smile so much."

"I told him about everything."

He raised his eyebrows. "Everything?" She nodded. "Dal, what the hell is your problem? I get that you're all guarded and afraid of getting screwed over by him, but how do you think he feels? He's trying. And you know about how he was before you. He doesn't give a shit about anyone else. That's not the Jon Moxley of the past. You owe him more than that. Don't get me wrong, I love being a dick to him, but you're kind of being a bitch about this whole thing."

"You love being a dick to everyone," she pointed out.

"I know. But so do you…and he's been trying. You have to give him credit for that. Stop using that icy cold heart as an excuse for everything. You can't do that forever. Eventually, he'll give up."

Dallas nodded. "You're right."

"I'm always right." She gave him a look. "Sometimes right."

"Fair enough."

"But seriously, I love you, Dal. Just don't fuck this up. Go talk to him."

"Well, it turns out he ran into Tom, and I'm afraid that he thinks I was behind him being here," she told him.

Kevin made a face. "Yikes. That's one thing I'm not responsible for. Looks like you're fucked. Good luck with that." He took a couple of steps, before she grasped his arm.

"Kev…"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

He gave her a smile. "Yeah. Yeah."


	38. Chapter 38

Rolling With the Punches

Chapter 38

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. It didn't happen in RL. Sorry, guys. It's all the product of my imagination.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello my loves! Hope you're all doing well! I just came back from a nice little trip to Montego Bay, Jamaica...which means I'm sunburned and dreading going back to work tomorrow. And I'm definitely not looking forward to turning 30 on Wednesday. Yikes! Love you all! Hope you enjoy the drama! XoXoXo**

* * *

"Have you spoken to loverboy?" Saraya asked, while the two were in the English Diva's hotel room.

"No. I really have to. I couldn't find him at the show. Apparently no one knew where he was...and I'm pretty sure he was avoiding me." She paused momentarily. "But it was probably for the best because he was probably pissed off about the whole Tom thing, so..." She shrugged.

"What're you waiting for?"

"I dunno. Honestly, I think I'm afraid. Like…what if he's still mad at me?"

Saraya rolled her eyes. "Oh quit being so dramatic. Maybe he's angry. But once you two talk all of your shit out, you'll be fine. You two will kiss and make up and go back to being disgustingly adorable."

"How do you know that?'

"Because I've seen the two of you together. Trust me, you'll be fine...better than fine," she assured her.

"Kevin thinks we're in love."

She made a face. "Everyone does. You just need to fix this whole mess."

"Alright."

"I'd say let me know what happens, but I won't expect to hear from you until tomorrow morning," she said, smirking.

Dallas chuckled. "Hopefully."

The brunette stood up. "Do I look okay?" She wore a pair of skinny jeans, a fitted gray short-sleeved, v-necked top, and a pair of her white and black Converse sneakers. Her hair was down, and she looked casual.

"You look sexy...in a cute way."

"Thanks." Dallas took a deep breath and let it out. "Alright. Wish me luck, my little crumpet."

"Good luck, ho bag."

"Thanks, bitch."

Dallas left her friend's hotel room and headed down the hallway. She figured out which hotel room Jon was staying in, when earlier in the evening, Saraya cornered Joe and convinced him to tell her. Not that it was difficult. He was just as eager to get his best friend out of his funk, as Saraya was to get Dallas out of hers.

She found the door and tried her best to calm her nerves, before finally knocking. A couple of moments later, the door swung open.

Jon's eyes instantly widened in surprise. "Hi," she greeted almost instantly.

"Dallas, I uh-" he began.

"Wait. Just let me say what I need to say. It bothers me that you're pushing me. I know we're more than friends. It just isn't something that I'm comfortable with everyone else knowing right now. I'm trying, though, but I know I need to try harder. You deserve that much from me, after everything you've stuck around through. I was gonna say something tonight at the show, but when I ran into Tom, he mentioned something about running into you, and I figured that you'd be pissed and thought that I had something to do with him being here. So, I wanted to give you some time to cool off. Because I had no idea that he had a match tonight and was going to be around. But anyway, I just want you to know that I'm sorry. I know how I can be, and I really am sorry. And just because we got into that whole fight thing, it doesn't mean that I don't like you anymore or anything. I just needed a kick in the ass. You deserve more than I've given you. You're not just my friend. Everyone knows that, but I need to finally acknowledge that. I haven't been fair to you, and I'm sorry, Mox," she apologized, speaking quickly, as she was nervous and wasn't really one for getting emotional.

The bathroom door opened, and Jon's eyes immediately shut, knowing he was caught. A woman walked out, wearing a short black skirt and a top that could barely be called clothing, as it wasn't leaving much to the imagination. She had long platinum blonde hair and was probably pretty but it was difficult to tell with the pounds of makeup caked on her face. Dallas licked her lips, before sinking her teeth into her bottom lip.

The woman walked over and looked at Dallas. "Uh hi."

"Hi," she said with a clearly fake smile. Then, she turned to Jon who looked guilty as sin. "Oh. Well, I guess I pulled my head out of my ass a little late, huh?" she breathed. She was shocked. This was the last thing she expected to happen.

"No…"

She pressed her lips together and nodded. "Well, fair enough. No rules, right?" With that, she turned around and began walking down the hallway, embarrassed, upset, and moments away from bursting into tears. She felt an arm grab her arm. She turned around, almost slamming into Jon, in the process.

"Dal, I-"

"No. Don't do this. This is what I get," she breathed, pulling her arm out of his grasp. "I was afraid to let people know that we were more than friends, but I had zero interest in being with anyone else. I just hope you know that. I made mistakes, and I did some things that I shouldn't have. But I uh…I just thought…" She shook her head and forced a smile. "Do your thing, Jon. It's alright. I can't hide behind the 'no rules' thing and expect that you won't." The tears in her eyes betrayed the smile on her face.

"Dallas, I didn't—"

"Go back to your room. We'll catch up some other time," she told him, her voice cracking slightly.

Dallas quickly turned away from him, continuing to her hotel room. She didn't want him to see her cry. Hell, she didn't want those tears escaping her eyes at all. The more she looked at him, the harder that became. She quickly made her way inside, shutting the door behind herself. She wanted to throw up. Dallas was more angry with herself more than anything. She should have never gotten involved with him. She knew better and blamed herself for this. It was too much too soon, and she hadn't been able to handle it. The ache in her chest made her regret everything.

It bothered her even more that she went off about the whole not having rules thing, and here she was getting upset when he was with someone else. Maybe it was hypocritical of her, but she was still hurt.

Dallas felt tears stinging her eyes but refused to let them spill down her cheeks. She was not going to let that happen. She wasn't going to cry over a guy. Dallas knew she had been through a hell of a lot worse than this. She needed to stop with the emotions.

Grabbing her credit card and ID, putting them in her pocket, along with her key card, she left her room. She headed down the hallway towards the elevators, praying that she didn't run into Jon, as that would be the last thing she needed, at the moment. She quickly hit the button that would bring her down to the lobby.

Tapping her foot impatiently and crossing her arms over her chest, Dallas practically lunged into the elevator, once it arrived at her floor. She repeatedly pressed the button for the lobby, as if that would help her get the doors shut faster. Of course, then, she hit the button to shut the doors and received her wish, as they quickly closed her off from the rest of the floor, including Jon...especially Jon. He was the last person she wanted to see. She wasn't sure she would be able to control her emotions, if her eyes landed on him again.

When she finally arrived at the lobby, Dallas headed straight for the hotel bar. A couple of drinks would help numb her racing mind. And mind-numbing was exactly what she needed, at the moment. Spotting Claudio sitting at the bar, she slapped a smile on her face and took the barstool next to him.

"Hey you," she greeted.

He looked over at her and a grin immediately found its way onto his face. "Hey Dal. What are you doing here?"

She shrugged. "The usual. Long day. Thought a drink would be nice."

"Great minds think alike. I had the same thought." He caught the bartender's attention. "Can you get a Jack and Coke for the lady?" He paused for a second. "Make it a double, please."

"Absolutely," the man responded with a nod of his head.

"Jack and Coke? That's my depressed drink," she pointed out.

"Do you forget how well I know you? I know that fake smile and cheery attitude of yours is bullshit."

"What are you talking about? I'm fine," she insisted. Claudio gave her a look, as he was clearly not believing her. She let out a loud breath and frowned. "Alright. Fine. You're right. You do know me too well."

"What's going on with you, Dally?" he asked, his tone reflecting his concern for his longtime friend.

"Nothing…" The bartender slid the drink over to Dallas. "Thank you," she said, giving the man a weak smile.

"You're lying to me. I've known you for what? Eleven...twelve years, at this point? I know you better than that. Talk to me."

Dallas sighed and took a sip of her drink. "I heard you and Colby had a little chat with our friend Mox…"

He smiled, amused. "He told you about that?"

She shrugged. "Maybe…"

"I know you say there's nothing going on between you two, but I figured...just in case. Better to be safe than sorry."

"You were right."

"About what?"

"That whole 'just in case' thing."

"So you two are...something?"

"We were."

He gave her a suspicious look. "Were? Is _that_ why you're down here?"

Nodding, she took a sip of the strong drink. "I fucked up."

"How?"

"I caught feelings."

"You make it sound like a disease."

"It is."

"It isn't." Claudio almost instantaneously pushed the smirk that popped onto his lips.

"Well, agree to disagree."

"What happened?" he questioned.

"Well, it wasn't supposed to be anything serious. I mean...it wasn't supposed to be anything at all. We were just sleeping together. That's all it was. But...I don't know. Somewhere along the way, it all just kind of...changed." She took a deep breath and let it out. "He showed up at my house on Wednesday."

"In Philly?"

"Yeah."

"Wow."

"It was great, too. We hung out. We talked about stuff. I uh...I opened up to him about...things…"

"You told him?"

"Yeah."

"That's a big step for you."

"I know."

"How'd he take it?"

"I cried. He held me. I didn't think he would be so great about it. But he was." She began fidgeting around with the straw in her drink.

"So, what's the problem? It sounds like you should be in his room...not sitting at the bar with me."

"Yeah, well…" She paused. "Everything was great in Philly. Like perfect. We missed our flight here, so we took a road trip together."

"Oh. I see. I guess things went downhill when you serenaded him with 'Heat of the Moment', huh?" he asked with a chuckle.

Dallas rolled her eyes and mock laughed. "Very funny. Yes, I did. I don't even know why you'd ask me that question. Like I'd ever be able to go without singing "Heat of the Moment" during a road trip."

Claudio smirked, before his expression turned confused. "Honestly, aside from your loud, obnoxious, off-key singing, I don't see what the problem is."

"I'm getting there. When we came here last night, we ran into Steen. And he asked about the two of us, and I said that we were just friends. Mox got all offended, and we got into a little spat. I kind of stormed off."

"Oh…"

"I was planning on letting us both cool off, and I was gonna talk to him at the show, but I ran into Tom. And Tom had mentioned that he ran into Mox. So, I figured he was pretty pissed, so I waited to go talk to him until after the show, hoping that he'd cooled off. I went to his room and gave him this whole little speech about how I was trying and shit, but I know he deserves more from me, and that just because of our argument or whatever, it didn't mean that I stopped caring about him or whatever. I apologized to him for the mistakes that I've made. And you know what happened?"

"What?"

"Some rat came out of the bathroom."

"Oh. Fuck," he breathed, shaking his head slowly. "Did you punch him in the face? Or the throat, as you prefer? Not that you could reach much higher than that."

"No. I pretty much said that we agreed to have no rules, so it was fine, and he could do his thing. I walked away. He tried to chase after me, but I told him to go back to his room, and we'll catch up later," she explained.

"Wow."

"This is my fault."

"Are you out of your mind? It's not your fault, at all."

"We agreed on no rules. I threw that in his face when he was mad that I told Steen we were just friends. Now, I'm going to be a hypocrite and throw it back in his face when he's got some bitch in his hotel room? No rules means he can bang anyone he wants to."

"That's a little different. You both knew that you two were more than friends. You told him...things to don't talk to me about. That's a big deal. He's an asshole."

"I shouldn't have gotten so invested and let my guard down. I know better than that. I shouldn't have been so naive...and stupid."

"No," Claudio flatly replied. "You should try to have relationships. He's the one who did this because he doesn't know how to keep it in his pants." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. "You don't deserve that."

"What's wrong with me?" she questioned.

The pained expression on her face, the hurt residing in her eyes made Claudio want to get up and go find the man who caused his good friend to be so sad. But right now, she needed him with her. "There's nothing wrong with you, Dal. You're the best. Jon should've considered himself lucky to have had you, in the first place."

Dallas rolled her eyes. "Yeah. I'm sure he agrees with your right now, while he's busy with Ronald McDonald's fake titted sister."

Claudio chuckled. "Even when you're upset, you're still pretty funny."

"Thanks. I should have gotten into comedy and stayed away from these wrestling guys," she breathed.

* * *

Dallas and Claudio spent a couple of hours at the bar. The more she drank, the more talkative she became...and the more emotional she had also become. By the time the clock read 3:15 AM, Claudio had closed his tab and was trying to help Dallas to her room. But she was making it difficult because she didn't want to go.

"Come on. Juss a coupla more drinks," she tried to bargain with him, though her slurring wasn't doing her any favors.

Claudio looked at her like she was crazy. "Are you out of your mind? We have a show tomorrow, and you're already a complete mess."

Dallas began laughing hysterically. "I am a mess," she agreed, nodding.

He was finding it difficult to bring her to the elevators. So, he opted to lift her up over his shoulder. He held onto her legs, as her head was staring at his back, upside down. He finally got them into the elevator car, where he stood her up.

"You alright?" he questioned, unsure what to make of the expression on her face.

Almost immediately, Dallas burst into a fit of giggles. He sighed and picked her up bridal style. When the elevator doors finally opened, Claudio navigated his way down the hallway, to her room. He quickly spotted a sleeping body outside of her door; a body he quickly recognized to be Jon's. He was immediately overcome with rage, wanting to pummel the man that had hurt his friend.

"Where's your room key?" he asked.

She pulled it out of her pocket, her head resting on his shoulder. The brunette hadn't noticed anyone in front of her door yet. Dallas held it out, and he took it from her. "I juss wanna party," she slurred, before letting out a yawn.

"I know, but what you need is water and sleep."

"No, I need to have a few more drinks."

"The last thing you need is another drink, Dallas."

Jon sat up. He looked like a complete mess. 'Good,' Claudio thought to himself. He deserves it. He was disappointed that Jon had sat up. He wanted to wake him up with a swift kick to the ribs. But now, he couldn't. The Lunatic Fringe stood up.

"You're no fun," she whined, picking her head up. "What the fuck? Am I hallucinating? Did you drug my drinks?"

"No. You're not hallucinating, and I didn't drug your drinks," he replied, glaring at Jon. He balanced Dallas in his arms and managed to unlock her door, kicking it open. Jon followed them into her room

Claudio laid her on the bed. He untied her shoes and tossed the first one onto the floor and began working on the second.

"I can take over from here," Jon spoke up, as Claudio got the sneaker off. He roughly threw it at Jon, hitting him in the chest. "Ooof," he breathed, catching it in his hands, before dropping it to the floor.

"You'll get out of here is what you'll do," Claudio shot.

"I need to talk to Dallas," he insisted.

"No, you don't. You made your point crystal clear. And besides, she's really drunk right now. She needs sleep."

"I can take care of her," Jon shot back.

"You don't think you've done enough already?" he retorted. "You need to get out of here. Now."

"Dude, if I need to talk to Dallas, I don't need your permission to do it," Jon growled, clearly growing frustrated.

"No. You're right. You don't. But I'm also pretty sure you have someone waiting in your room for you," Claudio snapped.

Dallas sat up on her elbows. "Don't fight. Claudio, you're the best. This is why I love you. When Zach isn't around, it's like I have another brother taking care of me. I don't know what I'd do without you. Mox...just…do your thing. It's okay. Really."

Claudio grabbed a bottle of water out of the room's mini refrigerator and put it on the night table. "You heard the lady," he spoke, as he went to Dallas's suitcase and rummaging through her things, until he found the bottle of Advil that he was looking for. He took two of the small pills out of it, before replacing the bottle.

Standing up, he turned around. "Get the hell out of here," he demanded, putting both pills on the night table next to the water bottle, which he picked up and handed to Dallas. "Drink this bottle, Dal."

"Is there vodka in it?" she hopefully asked.

"No." He twisted the cap off and raised an eyebrow. Dallas pouted but took it from him anyway.

"This sucks," she groaned and took a drink of the water. "Ugh. I wish this was vodka."

"Don't get shit-faced over some asshole who doesn't deserve you," Claudio told her, glaring at Jon.

"Can you just let me talk to her?"

"She's drunk, you moron. She doesn't need to talk to anyone right now. She needs to drink water and go to sleep."

"She needs a few more drinks, actually," Dallas interjected. "But none of them are water."

"No, you don't. Honestly, Jon, just leave her alone right now. I'm trying to clean up the mess you made."

"Fine. But this isn't over," he finally conceded, knowing it was in her best interest to go to sleep. "When she's awake, I'll talk to her. You can't stop me from doing that."

Claudio rolled his eyes. "Right. Now fuck off."

Finally, Jon left the room.

"Thank God. I thought he'd never leave," Dallas spoke, before a hiccup escaped her. "The longer he was in here, the more I wanted to cry. Ugh. I hate being emotional and shit. I hate being some pussy over a guy."

Claudio smiled for a brief moment. "What the hell am I gonna do with you, Dal?" he rhetorically asked.

"Love me," she casually replied.

A chuckle escaped him. "You know I love you. You're like my little sister."

"Good."

He gently patted her leg. "Get to sleep."

"I don't wanna."

Claudio stood up, shaking his head. "Deal with it." He pulled the blankets over her and gave her a quick kiss on the head. "I'll come see you in the morning."

"Yeah. Yeah," she replied, waving him off, as she cuddled herself up in the bed.

"And Dal...one more thing."

"Yeah?"

"Don't let anyone make you feel like you're the problem. As far as I see things, you're strong, beautiful, incredibly smart, and you deserve the best. You should never be upset over some guy who can't appreciate what he has. He should be upset over you because you're too good for him. You aren't perfect, but neither is he. He needs to be a little appreciative of how hard you're trying. The last thing anyone should do when they have you is fuck someone else."

Though she was drunk, Dallas gave him a genuine smile. "Thanks, Clau," she said.

He smiled. "Of course. Now, get some sleep. Keep drinking that water, too." And with that, he slipped her key card into his pocket and left the room.


	39. Chapter 39

Rolling With the Punches

Chapter 39

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello loves! Here's the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy the drama. Thank you for the reviews :) I've had a lot going on, so I apologize for updating once every couple of weeks. I can't promise a better updating schedule, but I'm working on it. Love you guys! XoXoXo**

* * *

Claudio entered Dallas's room the next morning, using the keycard that he had taken from her the night before. Well…more like six and a half hours before. Shutting the door behind himself, he turned to find Dallas was surprisingly awake. She seemed to be rummaging through her things.

"Good morning, troublemaker," he greeted.

Dallas turned around. "You bastard! You had my keycard this whole time!" she yelled before popping up from her suitcase and stalking over to him. She hopped up and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Claudio hugged her. "How are you feeling, drunky?"

"Not bad," she replied, as the two parted from their hug, and he placed her dangling feet back onto the floor.

"Good. I was worried about you, princess."

"I'm fine. Nothing to worry about."

Claudio raised a questioning eyebrow. "Even with the Jon stuff?"

Dallas shrugged, pressing her lips into a straight line. "It is what it is. I blame myself. I shouldn't have gotten myself involved in anything that I couldn't handle. My mistake. Lesson learned. Whatever, ya know?"

He gave her a disbelieving look. "None of what he did was your fault. You shouldn't blame yourself. And…you know…it's his fault."

"It's both of us. I'm all…me…and he's all…him. It just wasn't the best combination. It doesn't matter. I'm over it."

Claudio furrowed his brow. "You were pretty upset last night."

"I was drunk. I'm always too emotional when I'm drunk. You know that. I'm fine now," she coolly replied.

He certainly wasn't believing what she was selling. "You can be upset, you know."

"I'm not. Well, that's not completely true. I was pretty upset this morning when I couldn't find my keycard because _someone_ took it, in my drunken state," she teased with a smirk.

"I'm serious."

Dallas rolled her eyes. "Oh relax, Clau. I'm fine. I don't care. Mox can do whatever or whoever he wants. We agreed no rules. If I used that against him, then, he sure as hell can use it against me. It's only fair."

"Are you going to talk to him?"

She furrowed her brows in confusion. "Why the hell would I talk to him?"

Claudio took a page out of her book and rolled his eyes. "Because things last night got a little heated. You even remember him even being here last night?"

"I remember. I also remember that you were the one who seemed to have the problem with him. I just don't need to rehash anything that went on. We tried to make things work…but we couldn't. It's over and done with."

"You can cut him out like that? Without giving him a second thought?" he questioned, not believing this charade for one minute.

"Yeah. Why not? You know me, I'm not that emotionally fragile. I'm pretty much the opposite. I can switch 'em on and off, as needed. And right now, I don't need 'em."

"I mean…according to what you told me last night, you two were getting pretty close," he pointed out.

"Eh. Like I said…it was my mistake."

Claudio sighed, knowing he wasn't going to get through to her, at the moment. "Alright, cold-heart. Let's go workout."

"Didn't you just workout?"

"Yeah, but you didn't. And I can go for another hour with you," he told her, wrapping a friendly arm around her shoulders.

"Alright," she agreed.

* * *

Jon was sitting in his locker room, his head in his hands. He hadn't gotten any sleep. He hadn't been able to focus on anything. He felt like a complete asshole. He knew full well that he had completely overreacted about the Tom thing. Having jumped to conclusions, Jon had stupidly picked up a woman and brought her to his hotel room.

But seeing Dallas come to his room, he immediately felt guilty…like he was doing something so wrong. And having listened to Dallas's apology, along with everything else she had to say, made him feel like the worst person in the world. Having spent the night thinking about the entire situation, he had come to realize how hard that she had clearly been trying, having put forth a genuine effort to open up to him. And while he still didn't think he was completely wrong for getting upset over the whole 'just friends' thing, Jon was rethinking his whole approach to the situation, after the fact. Quite frankly, she had told him something incredibly personal, and within a couple of days, he had pretty much thrown it in her face.

And now, he didn't know what to do. Jon knew he had fucked up royally. He just didn't know how to fix it. He had to figure out something.

The locker room door opened, and Jon looked up. Uh oh. Claudio walked in and shut the door behind himself. He silently walked over to Jon and sat next to him on the bench.

"Here it comes," Jon breathed.

"Here what comes?"

"This is where you beat the fuck out of me, right? I mean, it's cool. I get it. I'll take whatever you dish."

Claudio chuckled. "No. I won't do that. Turns out, I'm pretty sure I can hurt you worse without even laying a finger on you." Jon raised a curious eyebrow. "Dallas no longer wants to have anything to do with you."

"I expected that."

"Can you seriously blame her?" Claudio rhetorically asked. Jon shot him a look. "You fucked yourself."

"I get that," he breathed.

"I tried to warn you not to hurt her."

"I'm gonna find her and talk to her. I'll fix it."

Claudio smirked. "That won't happen."

"Oh? Why? You gonna stop me?" Jon asked, challengingly.

Chuckling, he shook his head. "No, Jon. I don't have to. She won't talk to you. She told me that this morning."

Jon rolled his eyes. "I can get her to talk to me."

With a condescending smile, Claudio shook his head. "Oh my friend, she won't give you the time of day. You're cut off," he said. "She doesn't want to see you, speak to you, know you exist. Face it, you're dead to her."

Once again, the Lunatic Fringe found his head in his hands.

* * *

"So, how was your night of makeup sex with Jon?" Saraya questioned, a smirk on her lips, as her friend walked into the locker room.

Dallas gave her a look. "Shit with Mox is done. I was stupid. I've been so stupid. But I'm over it now," she replied, her eyes darting around the room, avoiding her friend's face.

"Wait. What?" There was nothing but confusion etched on her face.

The brunette dropped her stuff and sat back in a folding chair, her eyes focusing on the ceiling, before they finally fell on Saraya. "It's over. We're done. I fucked up and made such a big deal of us not having any rules, and apparently, I can't even handle that," she explained, folding her arms over her chest.

Saraya stood in front of her, hands on her hips. "What the hell are you talking about?" she questioned.

"I went to his room and made a complete ass of myself," Dallas admitted.

"How?"

"I told him that I owed him an apology, and I gave it to him. And that even though we had our issue the night before, that I still cared about him. God, I said so much shit that I really wish I didn't. I feel like such a fool."

"Okay…I mean…you're feeling weird about having opened up to him about your feelings, I get that. But that seems like it should have fixed shit…"

"Maybe it would have. I don't know. A woman…more like a rat…walked out of the bathroom, after I finished spilling my heart out to him."

Saraya's mouth fell open. "No. Fucking. Way."

"Yup."

"Oh my…so what did you do?"

"I walked away. He came after me. But I told him that it was cool, we don't have rules, so he can go live it up," Dallas explained. "Then, I went down to the bar, found Claudio, and got fucking obliterated."

"Well, that's a good way to deal with your problems. Healthy," Saraya sarcastically replied with a roll of her eyes.

"Claudio brought me back to my room. Mox was outside the door. They kind of got into it. Claudio even threw a shoe at him."

"I can't believe that son of a bitch."

Dallas shrugged. "It's fine. Not like I should have expected much else. I'm the one who made such a big deal about the 'no rules' shit, so it's on me. I guess I just got all wrapped up in whatever was going on between us. That's what I get. I'm over it. I'm done with him."

"We both know you don't mean that. You really cared about him."

The brunette shrugged. "I thought I did. But…I can switch it off, when I have to. I don't care about him anymore."

"So, you're not upset?"

Dallas shrugged. "Should I be? I mean, they're all the same, you know? I should have seen this coming."

For a split second, Saraya caught a glimpse of sadness in her best friend's eyes, before she turned her expression cold. "Dal…"

"What?"

"Are you sure you don't care?" There was that glint of sadness again.

"Couldn't care less, actually," she replied with a shrug.

"Right. Well, I have to go run an errand real quick. I'll be right back."

Saraya left the locker room and stormed through the hallways, fists balled at her sides, anger in her eyes. How dare he hurt her best friend. She was furious with Jon. She had convinced her to give him a legitimate chance. And he went ahead and screwed it all up.

Quickly finding the door to Jon's locker room, she threw it open and stormed inside. "You bastard!" she yelled, as the door shut behind her.

Jon and Claudio looked up at her. While Jon's expression was one of surprise, Claudio's was one of amusement. He knew that Jon was really in for it with Saraya getting involved.

"Hi Raya!" the Swiss Superman greeted with a big smile.

"How dare you! How could you do that to her? She cared about you. She was trying so hard to open up to you and move things along. But no…you had to act like a dick and bring a rat into your hotel room?! Who the hell do you think you are? You're a piece of shit," she yelled.

"I fucked up. I know that. Trust me, I'm beating myself up worse than either of you two ever could."

"What the hell is wrong with you? Did you that think Dallas purposely brought Tom here, you fucking moron?"

"I did," he breathed. "But I know I fucked up."

Saraya shook her head and threw her hands up in the air, in frustration. "You don't even know how badly you fucked this up, you dickhead. Now, we all have closed off Dallas, once again; the Dallas who insists that everything is perfectly fine all of the time, when she's bullshitting us; the one who acts like she couldn't care less about anything, when, in fact, she's hurt and miserable. And for what? You? Some scumbag who can't keep his dick in his pants?! You're not worth it, Jon. You're not! You never deserved someone half as amazing as Dallas. You deserve your fucking rats!"

Jon stood up. "I get it! I fucking get it! I wasn't thinking. I was pissed off, and I fucked up. I thought she had Tom come out here to piss me off. And I reacted like an idiot. I did something stupid, and I hurt her. I fucking hate myself. I fucking know!" he yelled back at her.

The door opened, but Saraya ignored it. She was way too fired up to care, anyway, as she was focused on the man in front of her who had hurt her friend. "I don't know what she ever saw in you. You're a pathetic, manipulative piece of garbage. And if you ever…EVER even look at Dallas again, I'll rip out your bloody eyeballs myself, you bastard!"

"What the hell is going on in here?" Joe questioned, his brows furrowed in utter confusion at the scene before him.

Saraya's head snapped to the side. "Let me guess, you knew all about this little charade, didn't you?"

"What charade? I don't even know what the hell you're talking about." His eyes conveying his misunderstanding of what was going on.

"You're little friend, your _brother_ ," she mocked. "You knew he was fucking off on Dallas. Right?"

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Joe paused. "What the fuck happened with Dallas?" His eyes narrowed at Jon.

"She saw him with another woman in his room last night," Saraya angrily replied, her hands on her hips.

"What?! That can't be true," Joe breathed in disbelief. His eyes searched his friend for some kind of denial. But he didn't see any of that. Instead, he watched his guilt-ridden best friend avoiding his eyes. "Are you fucking serious man…? What the…who the fuck…?"

"Some rat. Your pal is a real class act, let me tell you," Saraya shot, folding her arms over her chest.

Joe raised an eyebrow. "Is this over the Tom thing?"

"I thought she had him come out…" he lamely tried to defend himself, though he wasn't quite sure why he even bothered.

"So you replace her?" Joe incredulously questioned. "Is Dallas okay?"

"Y-you didn't know?" Saraya asked, clearly surprised.

"No. If I knew he was gonna do something like that, I would've kicked his ass before it happened…knocked some sense into him," Joe flatly denied knowing.

"Oh…well…"

"How's Dallas doing?"

"Pretending that she's fine, even though she's obviously not," Saraya spoke.

"She got so drunk last night that I had to carry her back to her room," Claudio replied. "But this morning, she acted like nothing happened."

"Oh…"

"It's not a good sign. She's upset because of this jackass. I know she is. I can see it in her eyes. But…she's just closing herself off like it doesn't matter."

Joe's eyes were staring a hole in his best friend. "After everything we've talked about…seriously?" he questioned.

Jon shook his head slowly, avoiding everyone's eyes.

"What the fuck are you guys doing in here?" Dallas's voice demanded from the door.

Claudio and Saraya looked up, as if they were two children who just got caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Dallas raised a pissed off eyebrow, as her eyes moved between her friends.

"Dallas, I—" Jon began, stepping towards her.

She put her finger up, silencing him. "Honestly, not right now, Mox. Claudio, Saraya, get out. Now." The pair scurried out quickly. "Hi Joe," she said, giving him a smile.

"Hey Dal…"

"Do me a favor, please, if any more of my friends come around, attempting to defend my honor, please tell me. Because I'll kick all of their asses."

"Of course."

"See ya." She gave Joe another forced smile. Her eyes briefly met Jon's, before she looked away and walked out of the room.

Joe shut the door and turned around. "What is wrong with you?"

"A lot," Jon breathed, reclaiming his seat in the cubby.

Joe took a folding chair and sat in front of him. "What are you gonna do now?"

"I…I have no idea."

"Why would you do that, man?"

"I dunno. I thought she was shoving Tom in my face, and I guess…I dunno. I just wanted to…get back at her."

Joe rolled his eyes. "You're an idiot."

"I know. I didn't realize he was there for a match."

"You jumped to conclusions, like an ass. I told you not to do that."

"What do I do now?" he asked.

"I don't know, man. I don't know if there's anything you can do."

"There has to be something."

"Man, if she doesn't want you to talk to her or anything, then, there's really not much that you can do."

"But…I mean…I want to be with her," Jon admitted.

Joe raised his eyebrows. "You want to be with her? Like really be with her?"

Jon nodded. "After the way things went in Philly, I just…I'm crazy about her."

"You should give her some time to calm down, and talk to her when she's ready. Don't force her, though. It'll only piss her off, and you really don't want to do that," Joe warned him. "When Galina's pissed off at me, she'll ignore me, but if I push her, she loses her shit. And that's nothing anyone wants to deal with."

"Alright. I'll give her some space."

"I know it's not easy, but if you give her some time, you'll have a better shot. Okay?"

Jon nodded slowly. The last thing he wanted to do was not speak to Dallas. But if she wanted some space from him, he would give it to her.

Jon knew full well that he had fucked up. And he regretted what he did more than anything. Bringing that woman to his hotel room was a big mistake. He shouldn't have been trying to get back at Dallas, especially without having gotten the full story from Tom. He was upset with himself. It wasn't like anything had even happened with the woman…Candice…Carrie…he couldn't even remember her name. It was a stupid thing to do. And the worst part of it all was that he had hurt Dallas. Jon didn't know if he could fix what he had done. Part of him would have preferred that Dallas flip out at him, yell, scream, whatever. But this whole being cordial without any signs of the affection that he used to see in her eyes…that was killing him.


	40. Chapter 40

Rolling With the Punches

Chapter 40

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Didn't happen in real life.

* * *

 **A/N: My people, I love you all, and I'm sorry. It has been a hectic couple of weeks (and the next few will be hectic, too). I don't get to enjoy my weekends because apparently, I have to adult, which sounds ridiculous to me. But anyways, to whoever is still interested, here's the next dramatic chapter of RWTP. I'm working on writing some more when I can. I have more responsibilities at work now, so I have less time to write and all, which sucks (but I did get a raise, so I can't really complain). I hope you're all doing well. Love you guys XoXoXo**

* * *

Dallas was heading to catering. She hadn't been sleeping well. In fact, she hadn't been doing much at all. Her brain had been stuck on Jon. She was hurt and sad. Of course she was much too stubborn to let anyone know that and did her best to mask her feelings. Dallas didn't want anyone knowing how miserable she was. She missed him. She couldn't believe that after everything that had gone on between them, this was how it was.

Turning the corner, she collided with a body. Stumbling back, an arm extended out, catching her before she fell to the ground. Her eyes glanced up at who was holding onto her. As if her luck couldn't get any worse, it was exactly who she had been going out of her way to avoid. Jon. She froze, not sure how to handle this.

"Dallas…" Her eyes were stuck on him. She couldn't pull them away. She couldn't seem to speak either. "I'm sorry. Are you alright?"

She remained silent for a couple of moments, trying to get her head functioning again. Her eyes turned cold. Almost violently, she pulled away from him. Realizing her demeanor, her eyes softened slightly. "Hey," she quickly replied, before wrapping her arms protectively around herself.

Jon quickly pulled his arms back, putting his hands up defensively. "Sorry, I just…I wasn't trying to cross any lines or anything."

"Oh. No. No. It's fine. Thank you for catching me there. I can't really chat, though. I have things to…um…take care of," she lied, not wanting to be so close to him.

"Oh. Okay. Listen, for what it's worth, I'm really sorry."

"Sorry? For what? You didn't do anything wrong. What could you be sorry for?" Dallas asked, trying to keep her cool but failing to do so. She couldn't mask the hostility that laced each word she spoke.

"For being an asshole," he replied. "Dal, I made a really, really stupid mistake. I…I care about you. A lot. I fucked up, and I'm just so sorry for what I did," Jon apologized.

She rolled her eyes. "You're being ridiculous. There's nothing to be sorry for."

"I want to…I mean…can't we just…" He took a deep breath and paused, clearly flustered. "Can't we just go somewhere and talk?"

"There's nothing to say, Mox."

"Come on, just give me a chance."

"For what? We're cool. Everything's good. Don't worry. It's fine."

"I'm sorry. Please…you know you mean a lot to me." Dallas was getting frustrated and upset. She didn't want to do this, especially not now.

"I know? And how would I know, Mox? I'm pretty sure that rat in your room the other night told me all I need to know about what I mean to you," she shot. Her voice was calm, though it was clear she was hurt. And a couple of seconds after the words left her mouth, she clamped her hand over it, realizing she didn't want to say those things.

"That was a mistake."

She shook her head. "No. It wasn't. And that's fine. I shouldn't have even said anything. I'm sorry. I mean, we had no rules. It's whatever. No big deal. It was a mistake for me to think that we had something different. I was being stupid. It's my fault."

"No. We did…we do."

"We don't have anything, Mox. We were just…having fun."

"Yes, we do. You know that wasn't about fun. Not that it wasn't, but there was a lot more going on between us."

"No. I was just caught up in something that wasn't really there. So…whatever. It doesn't matter. It's not a big deal. I wish you would just drop it already."

"You don't mean that."

"Yes, I do."

The hurt residing in Jon's eyes made her feel guilty, until she reminded herself why it had to be this way. Then, the hurt was in her eyes.

"So, you're telling me that everything that happened in Philly…none of that was real?" he pointedly questioned.

She shrugged. "I mean…it…it was. But it shouldn't have happened. It was a mistake," she firmly spoke, trying to be convincing.

"You don't mean that, Dal. You told me…"

"It doesn't matter. Just forget about what I told you. I was being stupid. I shouldn't have said anything," she shot. "I don't even know why it's necessary for us to have this conversation. I have to go."

"Please talk to me. Don't go," he begged her.

"I really have to go. I can't do this right now," she refused him and headed off with Jon hot on her heels.

"Dal, come on. You can't ignore me forever. And you sure as fuck can't ignore this thing between us," he called after her.

She walked into catering. "I'm not ignoring you. I've been responding to you. And 'this thing between us' _is_ over. It was hormone filled. You wanted to get laid, and I was putting out," she nonchalantly replied. Heading over to the food, she grabbed an apple and a bottle of water. Jon cornered her. "Seriously, please stop this. Don't make a scene."

"I just need you to hear me out."

"I've heard everything you've said. There's nothing more to say. Just leave it alone. You don't owe me an explanation," she insisted, keeping her voice low.

"Yes, I do. I owe you a lot."

"No. You really don't. There were no rules. I just got caught up there for a moment, but my head's finally back on straight. So, just let it go already," she snapped. "You're acting like we were something, and you need to stop with that. Trust me, you're not doing either of us any favors by drawing this out any longer."

"I care about you. A lot."

"If you don't get out of my way right now, I promise you'll regret it. Please respect my feelings and just leave me alone. Stop following me. Stop trying to corner me and 'talk it out'. You've said your piece. I've said mine. It's over and done with now."

Defeated, Jon hung his head and moved out of her way. Dallas quickly headed back to her locker room, relieved to finally be away from Jon. She ducked into the first unoccupied room that she came across, shut the door, and leaned her back against it. Her heart was pounding. Taking a few deep breaths, she desperately tried to calm herself down and will away the pesky tears pricking at the backs of her eyes.

She groaned, frustrated that she was letting things with Jon get to her and make her feel this way. She didn't act like this over anything, especially a guy. She slid down to the floor and took a bite of the apple she grabbed, trying to distract herself with food. But it sure as hell wasn't working. She pressed the back of her head to the surface of the door. This shouldn't have been so hard. And Dallas couldn't, for the life of her, figure out why she was getting all bent out of shape over a guy.

* * *

"Hey stranger," Tom greeted, seeing Dallas hanging out alone, in a deserted hallway. She was sitting on a pile of heavy plastic crates.

"Hey," she reciprocated the greeting.

"Is it cool if I join you?" he asked.

"Sure," she agreed, hoping she wouldn't regret it. She had enough going on, at the moment.

Tom sat next to her. "So, you're hiding?"

"Not hiding, per se. Just trying to stay…out of the way."

"Out of whose way?" She shrugged. Tom placed his hand on her knee. She gave him a questioning look. "What?" he asked.

"I…don't know."

"I don't know what's changed with you, Dal. You're acting weird," she said, moving his hand from her leg.

"I'm always weird," she pointed out.

"No. You know what I'm saying. Something's up with you."

She shrugged. "Been busy."

"You're sitting here looking like someone's kicked your dog."

"I don't have any pets," she dismissed.

He rolled his eyes. "And when I put my hand on your leg, you looked at me like I was some random stranger hitting on you. Like I repulsed you or something."

"Did I? Fuck. I'm sorry, Tom. I just…" She groaned. "Tom, you're a really great guy and all. But I'm just not…ugh. This is so awkward. Alright, so…I know we've had the 'just friends' conversation already, but it'll only ever be friends for us. It's not ever going to be more than that," she explained, uncomfortably.

"Did I do something wrong?" he asked her.

"No. No. Not at all. It really isn't you."

Tom raised an eyebrow at her. "So, this is gonna be one of those 'it's not you, it's me' type of things?"

"Yeah. No. Well…I don't know." She thought for a moment. "The truth is that it isn't you. You're good…great. I just…I'm all kinds of fucked up right now. And…" She knew there was no way around this, and she might as well be honest with the guy. "The truth is that I…stupidly…very stupidly, got involved with someone else. And it's over and all. It was just a mess, and I…I'm in over my head here. I'm sorry."

"Wait. Someone here?" he questioned, obviously confused.

"Yeah," Dallas replied with a nod.

"Who?" he asked. "Wait. Is it Steen?"

"What?! No! He's married. I'm not that stupid."

"Is that why you were so jumpy when I came to visit you the last time?" Tom pointedly questioned, as everything was starting to make sense.

With guilt splayed all over her face, Dallas slowly nodded. "Yeah."

"Who is it?"

"Mox," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

"What?! No way. You two hate each other."

"Well, not quite. I mean, we did. I think. But then…I don't know."

"So…what…uh…he's why you're being all weird now?"

"I'm not being weird," she defensively replied.

He gave her a look. "Okay. Yes, you are." He sighed. "You should've been honest with me in the first place, Dal."

"I know."

"When did…whatever start with you and Good?"

"I dunno. A while ago."

"How long? Before we started…?"

She thought for a moment. "I mean…it started right after that incident with Steen in my hotel room," she answered him.

"Before you came to Orlando?"

Dallas chewed on her lip for a moment, before finally nodding. "Yeah," she admitted.

"So, you knew back then that things weren't going to work out between us?"

"Well, no. Things were just physical then. And it only happened once…well…more than once. But it was only a couple of days. But it meant nothing. I didn't even like him then. If anything, I liked you more. He just…I don't fucking know."

"You should've told me."

Dallas couldn't meet his eyes. "I know I should've."

"When did things change?"

"I don't really know. Maybe right before you came to visit me…or while you were visiting. I'm not really sure, to be honest with you."

Tom thought for a moment. "Is that why Joe and the guys invited me to go out with them? So you could screw him?" His tone was harsh, but it didn't surprise her. Dallas knew that she deserved it for not being honest.

"Yeah. Well, no. I mean. I saw him, but I didn't sleep with him."

"At least now everything makes so much more sense," he breathed and hesitated for a moment, before wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "So, what happened that has you all upset?"

She gave him a confused look. "What?"

"You told me we were just friends. So, this is me being your friend," he explained, giving her a reassuring smile.

Dallas sighed and leaned against him. "Things were good. We got close. It was weird…but nice. And now…" She shrugged. "It's done."

"But why?"

"Do you really wanna hear this?" she asked.

"Yeah. Now out with it. This is what friends do."

"Fine. We got into a spat because I told Steen we were just friends. And I was pissed because I was really trying to open up and stuff. And he was all offended, but I can't really blame him for that. But when I went to go talk to him yesterday to try and apologize to him, I ran into you. And when you'd mentioned running into him, I figured he'd be pissed off and think I called you to come out because he gets jealous, I guess. So, last night I went to talk to him at his hotel room, and there was another woman in there," she explained.

"Oh…wow. So, this happened because of me?"

"No. It happened because I'm an idiot."

"Well, it's nice that he's jealous of me and all, but I mean…he thinks that you would do that to him?"

"Apparently."

"Has he tried to talk to you since?" Tom questioned.

"I can't get him to leave me alone now," she groaned.

"So, why don't you just talk to him?"

"Because I was really trying to give him what he wanted, and it turns out I'm just not cut out for this kind of shit. I was in way over my head. Big time."

"So, you two were a real…thing?"

"Well…no. Yes. I don't know. We said no rules, but…" She huffed. "He knew I cared. He knew I was trying. And I know it really upset him when we ran into Kevin, and I said that we were just friends. But I wasn't sleeping with anyone else since it became more about…feelings. I wouldn't have done that to him. But the second he sees you, he's always gonna think the worst of me. Like I went out of my way to get you here to shove you in his face. But I didn't touch anyone else. I didn't. He had another chick in his room."

Tom nodded. "I got you. So, you're just gonna act like nothing's wrong, while you're hiding from everyone, being all miserable?"

"I'm not…miserable."

"Bullshit," he replied. "You wanna go get a drink tonight? As friends? I gotta go get ready for my match. But I wanna talk to you about things, you know?"

She gave him a small smile. "I'd like that."

He returned the smile. "Cool."

* * *

Dallas sat at the bar, and while she'd been mildly hungover, she still had no qualms about drinking some more. She didn't get dressed up and kept it casual, in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Tom was next to her. Dallas was drinking a beer, steering clear of the liquor that reduced her to a drunken mess the night before.

"I thought you'd never speak to me again," she admitted.

"Eh. I considered it for half a second, but I like you. You're a cool chick. I'd only be spiting myself. Besides, when you're upset, you're supposed to be able to come to your friends. And I've been calling you a friend. So, I'd be a liar, if I wasn't here for you now."

"Well, I really appreciate it, Tom."

"I know."

"I just…ugh…I wish I knew what I was feeling."

"That's called sadness. It's an emotion. People feel it," he teased her.

"I'm not sad. Just disappointed, I guess."

It was at that moment that Jon chose to walk into the bar. He immediately spotted Dallas and Tom together. He walked over to the pair.

"Did take you long, huh?" he spat, clearly jealous at what he presumed was a date. Dallas was quickly pissed off with his attitude.

"To what? Have a drink with a friend? Unlike yourself what with bringing rats into your hotel room and all," Dallas sneered.

"Be careful, Tommy Boy. She has lots of 'friends', you know." He turned his attention to Dallas. "It's funny how you're so concerned with what goes on in my hotel room, when you didn't want anyone to know about us, yet here you are with _him_ , in public," he retorted.

"Because that's what _friends_ do. You're being such an asshole right now."

"Jon, there's nothing going on between us. We're just friends," Tom interjected.

"Sure." He waved Tom off. "You know, you act like everything's all over, but you won't even talk to me. You can't be the victim and be mad at me. You're the one who won't let me even try to fix it."

"Fine. Did you kiss her, Mox?"

"So what if I did?"

"Funny because I thought that we'd established that to be the line crossing moment of our…whatever it was. But if two days later, you're shoving your tongue down someone else's throat, then, clearly I was wrong."

"Clearly," he snarled. His face immediately switched from angry to panicked. "Wait. No. I didn't meant mean that. I didn't kiss her."

"Oh fuck off. I really don't have time for this Jekyll and Hyde routine you've got going on. Just leave me alone. I don't have the patience for this shit."

"I just want you to talk to me," he told her, his voice dripping with desperation.

"I really don't want to talk to you," she argued.

"I can't fix anything, if you won't let me try to make things right."

"Go," she firmly insisted.

"Fine," he spat, before storming off.

Tom turned and gave her a look. "What?" she asked.

"You really should talk to him. It's obvious that you're upset. And he wants to make things right between the two of you."

"Oh what do you know?" she rhetorically grumbled.

"Dal, I know I would've done anything to be with you. But you wanted him. That has to mean something."

"Yeah. That my decision making skills are seriously flawed."

Tom brought a hand onto her back. "You'll be fine. Just talk to the guy. Try to work your problems out. Or at least get some closure."

Dallas rolled her eyes. "We'll see what happens."

"Yeah. Yeah. Yeah."


	41. Chapter 41

Rolling With the Punches

Chapter 41

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. It didn't happen. Sorry to disappoint, my loves.

* * *

 **A/N: I suck. I know. Here's the next melodramatic chapter. I have the next couple of chapters typed up, so hopefully my brain remembers to post them. I hope everyone's doing well. I slept through TakeOver Brooklyn, so I'm trying to catch up on that right now. Love you guys XoXoXo**

* * *

Dallas headed to the gate for her flight in the bustling airport. Having just said goodbye to Tom, who was heading back to Orlando, she was heading to Atlanta, Georgia for Monday Night Raw. She was catching up with Saraya, first.

With her bag slung over her shoulder and arms crossed over her chest, her brain was quite busy. Tom had been a surprisingly good friend to her. She was surprised he took her admission of the truth about Jon so well. She had expected him to be more upset about it, but Dallas was glad to have him in her corner. At least it made one part of her life a little easier.

"Well, hello, my little pumpkin," the familiar sound of Saraya's voice filled her ears, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Hey," she reciprocated, her voice lacking any enthusiasm.

Her raven-haired friend made a face. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing. I dunno. I just…I got a lot on my mind," Dallas replied.

Saraya frowned, sticking out her lower lip. "What can I do for you? And yes, assault and homicide are included in that list of what I am willing to do." It was clear that she was trying to cheer her friend up.

Shrugging, Dallas sighed. "It's all shit I've gotta work out on my own, ya know?"

"Yeah. On the bright side, you're looking cute today."

A smile pulled at the corners of the shorter Diva's lips. "Thanks. I didn't put much effort in, but I do appreciate the compliment."

Dallas wore a pair of denim shorts, a fitted, red Cesaro t-shirt, and a pair of red Converses. Her hair was in a high ponytail.

"So, I have to tell you something, and I don't want you to get mad at me."

The brunette raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yeah…"

The pair walked over to the seating outside of their gate, where Dallas's mouth fell open. "No," she breathed, her eyes turning towards her friend.

Saraya pressed her lips together in a straight line, unsure of what to say. "I only found out like five minutes ago."

"I guess we don't have enough time to change fights?"

"Not quite."

Dallas groaned. "Fuck."

With Jon sitting next to Joe right in front of the gate, it was clear that they would be on the same flight as Dallas and Saraya. Considering mostly everyone else had caught an earlier flight, Dallas didn't even consider the possibility of being on the same flight as him.

"Odds are we'll be on opposite sides of the plane," Saraya chimed in.

"With my luck?" Dallas shot.

"True. We'll probably be right next to them."

Jon's eyes caught sight of Dallas. He smirked at her. She rolled her eyes and headed to a row of seats as far from Jon as she could get. Saraya joined her, sending a glare in Jon's direction.

"Of course I'm stuck on a flight with him," she grumbled.

"Well, let's not worry about him. So, you and Tom?"

Dallas rolled her eyes. "It's not even like that. Not even a little bit. I told him the truth about Mox and me. So, that whole thing is way over."

"I'm assuming he didn't flip out?"

"No. Weirdly enough."

"Wow. I thought he would."

"Me, too. Instead, he just…I dunno. He was acting like he was a friend, which was nice. Of course, dickhead came into the bar while we were having a drink. And he made it uncomfortable for all of us."

Saraya chuckled. "He's such an idiot when he wants to be. Does he not realize that he's not helping himself?"

"Apparently not. Not with his head shoved so far up his ass."

"What did Tom say anyway?"

"That I should talk to him, whether it's to fix things or get closure."

"Wow. Sage advice from a wise man."

"I know. And especially from Tom. Not too long ago, we kinda had a thing. And now he's giving me advice about Mox."

"Yeah. I didn't think he'd do that. I figured he'd be pissed considering the timeline of things with you and Jon."

"Clearly, I picked the wrong guy," Dallas breathed.

"Speaking of the wrong guy, he's staring."

She turned and looked in his direction. Sure enough, Jon's unwavering gaze was glued to her. "That son of a…" She flipped him off. His smirk persisted, as did his eyes. Growing frustrated, she turned around, not wanting to look at the man who was responsible for the pain she insisted she didn't feel.

"Maybe you should talk to him. Tom's right. At least there won't be any confusion."

Dallas shrugged. "I dunno. I really don't want to deal with it anymore."

"But it makes it so uncomfortable for you. And the two of you work for the same company, so you'll be seeing each other around. Might as well clear the air and deal with it," Saraya encouraged, though she doubted her friend would take her advice.

"Yes, but again, dealing with it would mean I'd have to talk to him, and I don't have any interest in that. In fact, I'm trying to avoid it altogether."

"You can't avoid him forever."

"That's debatable."

"You're being so stubborn. Even if you act like you're fine and insist that nothing's wrong and everything's peachy, we both know you're hurting."

"I _am_ fine. Besides, even if I wasn't, what am I gonna do? Sit around and cry over a guy? I've got better things to do with my time," she dismissed Saraya's words.

"That's bullshit, and you know it."

Dallas raised an eyebrow. "Do you really want to do this here and now?"

"I just want you to be honest with me. What do you think I'm gonna do? Run and tell him what you say to me?! I'm _your_ friend. I want to help _you_."

Remaining silent for a few moments, Dallas contemplated the point her friend made. She knew that Saraya only had her best interests at heart. She let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine," she relented. "I'm upset about it. Really upset. But worse things happen in life. This is just a pebble in my shoe. I'll be alright. I just need to forget about him. That's all."

"It's okay to be sad, you know?"

Dallas shook her head. "No. It really isn't. It's stupid to feel so down like this over some guy. I feel like someone ripped out my heart and cut it into a million pieces. And I shouldn't feel like this. I've been through more than enough in my life to be able to shrug this off like it's nothing. So, I don't know why I'm feeling like this," she admitted, her voice low. "Really, it's just embarrassing."

"Because you really care about him. And you trusted him. You two have some insane chemistry. Anyone can feel it when you two are anywhere near each other. You got attached. There's nothing wrong with that. It's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"Aside from the fact that I know a lot better than to do something so stupid?"

"To be fair, some guys are complete idiots when it comes to this stuff. Clearly, Jon is one of those guys. But if you talk it out, maybe you'll give things another shot. He seems capable of learning. That's the most important thing. If he's teachable, then, you'll be fine."

Dallas shook her head adamantly. "I'd be so stupid to give him another shot to make me feel like this," she breathed. "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I don't want to be a fool."

"Love can make us all fools sometimes. If you really care about him, and he's sincere, which I really think he is, I don't see a reason not to try again."

"I don't love him," Dallas flatly denied.

"You could. And probably already do."

"No. I've been burnt by too many people to let myself fall into this mess again."

"This is different, and you know it."

"It isn't."

"It is. You and Jon are two stubborn, headstrong, difficult people. Neither of you are ever willing to budge. But that dumbass has been trying to talk to you. He wants to make things right. You can be skeptical and still try."

"I dunno."

Saraya shrugged. "At least it's something to consider."

"I guess."

* * *

The shit eating grin on Jon's face while boarding the plane could be seen from outer space. As he sat in the row across from Dallas and Saraya, he was too happy to be so close to her.

"Why do I have such awful karma?" Dallas complained, noticing he took the middle seat to Joe's aisle seat. Dallas had the aisle seat, while Saraya had the middle seat.

Once the plane was fully boarded and the gate was closed, the window seat was empty. Dallas climbed over Saraya, wanting to be as far from Jon as she could get.

"Running away from me already?" Jon goaded her.

She chose to ignore him entirely, turning to Saraya. "How long is this flight?"

"Like an hour, I think."

"What's wrong, Dal? Don't enjoy my company anymore?" he asked her.

She let out a loud, agitated breath.

"So what do you think, Raya? You think these two have a chance?" Joe questioned.

"I dunno. They would, if your stupid friend knew how to keep it in his pants," she smartly retorted.

Joe chuckled, while a scowl found its way onto Jon's face. "Yeah. He'll have to work on that."

"I can!" he shot. "But I thought _your girl_ was screwing Tom to piss me off."

"And instead of talking to her, like an adult, he acted like a pathetic child and tried to get revenge. Nice job, asshole," Saraya retorted.

Jon remained silent. He couldn't deny that she was right. After all, he did jump the gun with the whole bringing someone back to his hotel room thing. "Yes, I fucked up, but she won't talk to me," he finally argued.

"Really? After how she opened up to you, would you expect her to talk to you?"

He didn't. But he sure as hell wasn't going to say that. At least not with an audience to hear him.

"I think these two need to go participate in the mile high club and get it out of their systems," Joe spoke up.

Saraya chuckled. "Can't say I disagree," she replied.

Dallas glared at her friend. "Seriously? You're gonna encourage this shit?" she questioned incredulously.

"The man has a point is all I'm saying," she defended herself.

"Unlike Mox, there are other things in my life besides sex," she spat.

"Trust me, I have other things, too," he shot back.

"Bullshit."

"As a matter of fact, _you_ were a very important part, and it didn't have anything to do with sex. I actually liked being with you. And I could easily keep my pants on. Thank you very much," he pointed out.

"Oh yes. Please. Pat yourself on the back, Mox. Because the second you incorrectly assumed, like the ass that you are, that I was using someone else to get under your skin, you picked up a rat, and pretty much threw it all back in my face," she retorted, trying to keep her volume down, so as not to have the entire plane listening in on their conversation.

"I made a stupid fucking mistake, Dal. And I'm sorry. More sorry than you might ever know."

Dallas's eyes burned into him for a few moments, before she pulled them off of him. She felt tears stinging the backs of her eyes again. It was something that was really irritating her. She wasn't a crier, at all, yet here she was fighting the impending torrent of tears from falling from her eyes. Dallas was feeling too much when it came to this situation. She didn't want it to be this way. But for whatever reason, he was way under her skin. Dallas leaned back in her seat, turning her head to focus on the airplane window. The last thing she was going to do was let him see her cry. She was strong and could handle it.

The silence between the four was incredibly tense. As the plane finally began the short journey to Georgia, Dallas prayed it would be over soon. She couldn't handle being so close to Jon anymore.

* * *

Once the plane was situated in the air, Dallas took her seatbelt off and stretched out a bit. The urge to cry had finally subsided, so she could focus on something other than the world below her, though she chose not to.

"Go away. Sit down," she heard Saraya speak.

Turning to the left, she saw Jon standing in front of the aisle seat. "Fuck off," she groaned.

"I just need you to know that I'm sorry. I was being an asshole. A real fucking asshole," he told her. "You mean a lot to me. And I'm sorry that I fucked it all up for us. You were…are…the best thing to ever happen to me."

Dallas was angry with herself for believing she had willed all the tears away because they quickly filled back up. She stood up from her seat, pushed Jon back, as she climbed over Saraya and ran passed him, as she made her way to the bathroom.

"Nice going, you dick," Saraya scolded him.

He sat down in the seat next to her, his head in his hands. "What the hell am I supposed to do?" he asked, his voice desperate.

"Well, it might not help, but you should probably try going after her. But if she asks, I'll deny I ever suggested it," Saraya replied.

Jon practically jumped up out of the seat and headed to the bathroom, knocking on the door impatiently. "Sorry, there's someone in here," he heard her voice speak.

"Please let me in, Dal. I'm sorry."

"Go away."

"I'll say everything I need to say, but I'll say it out here and at the top of my lungs," he threatened. "Everyone will hear what I have to say."

The door quickly opened, and he made his way inside, shutting and locking the door behind himself. She wouldn't face him.

"Look at me, Dal," he spoke. She remained silent, still not looking up at him. He pulled her in his arms, and he brought a finger under her chin, forcing her eyes to meet his.

If he hadn't already felt like the biggest piece of trash on earth before, seeing her tear-stained face certainly did. He didn't know what to say. The last thing he expected was to see her cry. Never before, in his entire life, had Jon felt such guilt and such an overwhelming need to comfort someone. He brought his hands onto her face, cupping it in his hands. He used the pads of his thumbs to wipe the tears away.

"Baby, please don't cry," he softly spoke, pulling her against his chest. His arms wrapped themselves around her body. He gently ran his fingers through her hair and kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry, Dal. So sorry."

She looked up at him. "I don't even know why I'm crying over this. It's not like we were dating. I didn't even cry over Kevin," she admitted, before a sob escaped her, and she pressed her face into Jon's chest.

"If it makes you feel better, I've never been so miserable over anyone before. I miss you so much," he breathed.

"This shouldn't be so difficult," she said, looking up at him.

"But it is. I can't just let you go without a fight." He leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. She kissed him back, knowing that it was truly what she needed at that moment. This man had been driving her crazy for weeks. She felt close to him. She missed the way it felt to be in his arms, to have his lips on hers.

Part of her wanted to move on and fix things with Jon. The other part was scared to give him another shot. The idea of him hurting her again was not something she could handle. Dallas couldn't risk it. And she didn't trust Jon to not hurt her.

That was precisely why Dallas pulled back. "I-I can't do this," she said and rounded him, before leaving the bathroom. She headed back to her seat, silently and stared out the window, not wanting to speak to anyone.

Jon followed not too far behind, the look of defeat etched on his face. It said enough to Saraya and Joe know that things weren't looking good for the pair. He slumped back in his seat, as the sadness set in.

"You okay?" Joe asked.

Jon looked at his best friend and shook his head slowly. "I ruined it, man. I fucked it all up," he breathed.

Saraya frowned, hearing Jon's words. She gave him a sad smile, before looking at her best friend. While she could only see the back of Dallas's head, she knew her best friend was hurting. And suddenly, the situation seemed completely and utterly hopeless.


End file.
